Salvation
by Katrina1
Summary: When a desperate mother contacts Mulder to find her daughter who ran away to join a cult, Mulder gets an unforeseen chance to deal with his past. But when he infiltrates in the cult, Scully must do everything in her power to save her partner from his 'sal
1.

Disclaimer: Don't shoot me for borrowing these characters! All  
copyright belongs to people that I don't know personally.   
  
Type of story: Lots and lots of MTA, UST and MSR, no rating required  
other than this J  
  
Story: When a desperate mother contacts Mulder to find her daughter  
who ran away to join a cult, Mulder gets an unforeseen chance to deal  
with his past. But when he infiltrates in the cult, Scully must do  
everything in her power to save her partner from his 'salvation'.   
  
Spoilers: Lots of spoilers for 'The Field Where I Died', a few for  
'The X-Files Movie' and smaller ones for other episodes like  
'Pusher', 'Little Green Men', the whole Samantha-abduction thing and  
'Anasazi'.   
Timeline: The story takes place about two years after the events in  
'TFWID', thus somewhere in the sixth season timeline. The events  
occur before 'Closure' with Mulder still looking for his missing  
sister.   
All lyrics are copyrighted, written and sung by Roxette   
They were my inspiration for this story, and I thank them deeply!  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Her blood was on his hands when he carried her outside towards the man  
waiting with his car. He would take over her body and make sure she  
got her final resting place. But he was the one that killed her. He  
saw the blood and realized what he had done.   
  
Before, it had all seemed strange. Unreal. Out of this world. But he  
saw clearly now that he had done that what he had feared others to do  
for so long now.   
He stared at her slim forms and the shadows on her face. She looked so  
pale, so innocent and so sweet. And now she lay in his arms and she  
was dead.   
'Put her in the backseat of the car,' the man ordered, opening the  
door for him so that he could carefully put her in.   
  
The man closed the door, satisfied with what he saw. Then he turned  
towards him and said, 'Now join Dominique and the others.'   
  
He nodded and left, like a puppet following the pulled lines.   
  
But everything inside of him screamed for her. And he knew he would  
not get the salvation that Dominique had preached for so long now.  
For him, nothing would matter ever again.   
  
Because he, Mulder, had killed Scully.   



	2. 

  
  
  
  
Part I: Seeking  
  
You crashed by the gate   
Captured my fate   
Salvation   
My eyes couldn't see   
I hardly breathed   
I was diving so deep   
Salvation   
  
  
-1-  
  
  
He touched her skin, just barely. His finger lingered underneath her  
chin, raising her face so that she was forced to look at him. Her  
eyes met his and she found the faith she had lost so many weeks  
before. He smiled, giving her the strength and qualities the others  
had all so admired in him. She nodded slightly, as if to tell him she  
was going for it.   
He knew she would. They always did. He wrapped them around his finger  
and they all obeyed his every wish. That was the only power he had   
the only power he wanted to use in this godforsaken world.  
  
'Are you ready to take the step to salvation, Vickie?' he said softly,  
using the timbre of his voice that had overwhelmed so many others  
before her. Again she nodded, this time smiling with that one gesture,  
full of expectation. 'I need to hear you say it,' he whispered.   
  
'Yes,' she said, hardly recognizing her own voice. 'I am.'   
He opened his hand, allowing her a look at the white tablets that lay  
on the palm of his hand. 'You've been feeling under the weather  
lately,' he softly said. 'You don't know what's wrong with you. You  
don't feel like you deserve to be here anymore. You just know that  
you want something else in your life than what's been given to you.  
And therefore you came to me, and told me that you wanted to be with  
me. Is that what you want, Vickie?'   
'Yes.'   
  
'You say that you put all of your trust in me. You claim that I am the  
one that will be the most important person in your life from now on.  
Are you ready for that, Vickie? Are you willing to give it all up for  
me? Are you willing to neglect your mother from now on? Are you  
willing to ignore your friends should they beckon you?  
  
'Yes.'   
  
'Take this tablet and show me that you care.'   
  
Her hand didn't tremble when she took one of the tablets from the palm  
of his hand and put it in her mouth. It felt dry and seemed to stick  
to her tongue but she swallowed it without complaining and opened her  
mouth again. He looked inside of her mouth, then at her and smiled as  
he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Then his tongue  
explored her mouth and she closed her eyes as she felt his grip on  
her. He had already decided that she would be his next. He   
loved her slim figure and the way the forms of her perfect body  
reacted to his touch. She was perfect and would suit him just fine.   
  
The fact that she didn't like him to stick his tongue in her mouth  
didn't matter. The moment she swallowed the first tablet, she had  
taken the plunge.   
He pulled himself away from her and smiled as she closed her eyes and  
let herself drift away into the land of oblivion. He moved his hand  
just slightly and immediately two of his followers appeared and took  
her away to her new resting place. She had a room next to his. He had  
decided it to be that way until she would move in with him. They  
would all feel when the time was right.   
But he had to be careful with this one. She was under aged. If they  
found out, he might be in trouble. And the others didn't like him  
fooling around with her. In fact, they dreaded that she was here,  
fearing that the cops or Feds would now have a reason to invade their  
shelter.   
He had ignored their protests, claiming that no one could stand up to  
him. He was stronger than them all and if they were honest with  
themselves, they knew this was true.   
  
He could be patient though. In three weeks her birthday came up. She  
would turn eighteen. After that, they would not go after her any  
longer. She would be an adult with a mind of her own. By then she  
would have signed all rights over to him. She would be able to tell  
them what she wanted and what she desired. By then she would be in  
his grip forever, and she would not even think about going   
back. He had decided that it would be it this way.   
  
He walked to the window of the white painted building and looked  
outside over the gardens that he kept so well. He saw them work. They  
all loved this place. They loved the everlasting sun and the fabulous  
smelling flowers. They didn't want to return to the real world with  
bills, payments and problems. They all had their own reason to be  
here as did Vickie. He never chose one that didn't have   
a problem or a reason to run away. He checked them out carefully, and  
selected them one by one himself.   
  
He walked over to the locked cabinet behind him, and pulled out the  
file on the girl with the chain of keys he carried on his belt. The  
other set of keys were in the hands of Dennis, his most trusted  
watcher. In a few weeks her mother would suffer a grave accident. The  
girl would inherit it all. By then she wouldn't mind donating her  
income to keep this place up and about. And then he would take off,  
after plucking the last of them.   
He smiled. If there was one thing he liked more than a beautiful girl,  
it was a beautiful girl with money. And with Vickie Moss, he had  
both.   



	3. 

-2-  
  
Fox Mulder couldn't help but smile as he noticed the plastic alien on  
the night table. 'Cute,' he said.   
  
The woman in her late forties stared at him first as if she didn't  
understand what he was on about. Then she looked down at the alien  
and sighed, 'Oh yeah. She's always been nuts about aliens. I never  
quite understood why. These rubbish things cost quite a bit of  
money.'   
'Does she believe in aliens?'   
  
'What?' The woman looked up strange at the redhead agent that stood in  
the doorway and had asked the question. 'I guess so. She loved shows  
like Star Trek and The Outer Limits. I guess she must have believed  
in them. I'm sorry, but what has that got to do with her  
disappearance?'   
'Nothing,' Mulder said, throwing questioning glances at his partner as  
if wondering why in the world she would start talking about aliens at  
a time like this. Scully just glanced back and raised her shoulders  
slightly for only him to see.   
  
In thoughts Mulder's finger touched the plastic alien and his eyes  
explored the room to track down what was missing. There was nothing  
here to indicate that the young woman had ran away from home, yet  
everything in him said that this was the case. There were many young  
women who couldn't find their place at home, and just took off.   
  
But here Vickie Moss had just left with nothing on her. Her clothes  
were all in the closet, her shoes were all there except for the pair  
of boots that she wore, and all of her bags were still present. Her  
diary lay on top of the night table, and her make-up was all there.  
Nothing indicated that she had ran away.   
'I don't understand why she took off,' Mrs. Moss said. 'She had a good  
home. We got along even though there was a lot of discussion about  
her father. She never told me she was in trouble. As far as I know  
she didn't get herself knocked up. But she chose another sort of  
life. Why in the world would she do that?'   
'Teenagers often have a strange look to life, Mrs. Moss,' Scully said  
politely. 'Vickie might have seem perfectly happy in your eyes but in  
truth be a very unhappy young woman. Can I ask you why you are so  
sure she ran away and wasn't kidnapped?'   
  
'She has taken money out of her bank account yesterday afternoon. The  
bank called me this morning because it was a large amount. They  
didn't know of course she ran away.'  
  
'Couldn't she have been forced to take off this money? Can it not be  
that you will still be contacted for ransom? You are a wealthy widow,  
Mrs. Moss. People have done stranger things for lesser money.'  
  
'I'm not that rich,' Elaine Moss protested. 'Sure, my parents left me  
some money but most of it has been spent when I bought this house  
after my husband took off. Whoever took her, might not know this.  
Still, I would have heard something by now, wouldn't I? It's been two  
days. No, I know where she is.'   
Mulder and Scully glanced at each other again, both expecting Elaine  
to come up with the truth soon enough. The woman sighed and sat down,  
rubbing her face. 'I cannot believe this is happening again,' she  
whispered numb. 'I thought Vickie would be wiser. But no she had to  
do it.'   
'Do what, Mrs. Moss?' Mulder asked gently as he sat down beside her on  
the bed. Elaine took a picture from the night table. It showed three  
happy people with no care in the world.   
  
'That picture was taken right before her father died and left me with  
her,' Elaine Moss said. 'Of course I should mention that two days  
before he croaked, he ran off with a blonde bimbo and dropped our  
daughter off at my place after picking her up from school. Since  
then, I saw a change in my girl that terrifies me.'  
  
'Why did you wait this long to contact the FBI, Mrs. Moss?' Scully  
asked.   
'To be honest,' Elaine sighed, 'my daughter is not the easiest of  
girls. She's been into some problem a few years ago, and she's got a  
reputation of being difficult to handle. But I don't blame her for  
that. I blame Henry.'   
'Is she on medication or drugs?' Scully asked.  
  
'Not that I know of, but I'm not sure.' Elaine Moss sunk on her  
daughter's bed and stared at the picture in Mulder's hand. 'I know  
you must think I'm crazy, but I knew she's living with the wrong  
crowd at this moment. I know where she is at least I think I know  
where she is.'   
'Then why did you contact us?' Mulder asked. 'Instead of warning the  
police, you called the Bureau and asked for me specifically. I don't  
recall us meeting. How did you get my name?'  
  
This time Elaine Moss looked up and said calmly, 'we have a mutual   
acquaintance.'   
'Who?'   
  
She stood up and left the room, going to a small closet in her own  
bedroom where she dug out a photo album that seemed to have been  
gathering dust for some time now. She took out two articles and a set  
of photos and handed the set to him.   
'Your name was all over this case,' she said, as he read the articles  
about the case they handled a few years ago. The Temple of the Seven  
Stars. The name brought back a lot of memories for Mulder. They were  
memories he had never dealt with. And now he stared at Melissa's  
photo as it had appeared in the newspapers as one of the many  
casualties of a mass suicide.   
Mulder couldn't help but swallow away the pain and guilt he had felt  
for so long now as he stared at the photos of Melissa and Ephesian.  
It all seemed so long ago, yet it felt like it had happened  
yesterday. He looked up at the woman, knowing he couldn't hide his  
pain.   
'Melissa was my niece,' she said softly as she gave him a picture of  
the woman he had shared so many lives with. The one he couldn't save.  
'My sister is ten years older than I am. She had a daughter way  
before I did. Melissa took off to a cult, just like I am sure Vickie  
did.'   
'I can't help you,' he said, handing her the pictures back. 'Melissa  
died and that case was closed two years ago. Cults is not my  
jurisdiction. I cannot do this.'  
  
'But you were there. I read about it in the papers. You tried to help  
her and the others but couldn't. Now I fear that my daughter has  
fallen into the same trap. I don't just fear it. I know it. I read  
about it.'   
Elaine Moss pointed at the diary on her daughter's night table that  
had been left as evidence of her whereabouts. During the past few  
days Elaine had wondered if her daughter had left it especially for  
her to read, so that she could know where she was if she needed help.  
  
'I remember so much about Melissa,' Elaine said softly. 'She was  
everyone's favourite because she was the oldest. She used to come  
here when she was little, long before my daughter was born. She  
changed. She met Ephesian and she got hooked. He was like a drug to  
her. He wheeled her in and kept her in that cage that he called a  
Temple. It destroyed my sister. She had to watch in pain as   
Melissa changed and eventually disappeared out of sight. When the  
Bureau called her to say that Melissa was dead, she collapsed. I  
don't want that sort of phone call, Agent Mulder.'   
  
'What cult are you talking about, Mrs. Moss?' Scully asked gently.   
  
'They call themselves Salvation Awaits and claim that they're a help  
group for people with problems, issues, whatever. They hand out  
flyers and promote their so-called yoga-sessions. You can read the  
diary. She wrote about it. She met this man who calls himself  
Dominique and got hooked instantly. She skipped school to attend one  
of the sessions. Then they recruited her. And the last   
passage in her diary says that she went to see them. She hasn't come  
back since. Should I draw further conclusions here?'  
  
Elaine continued as her eyes stared outside to the streets with people  
that had no cares in the world. 'I know that she has changed. I know  
she used to come home on time every night and now sometimes stayed  
away for hours. I know she's been skipping classes. One of my friends  
saw her wondering around the Square, talking with those people. He  
warned me about them, and said that there was a large group of people  
mostly women already living in an old school that they   
renovated right outside of town.'  
  
Mrs. Moss turned to Mulder and said, 'I heard rumours that there was  
something going on between you and Melissa. I informed myself about  
this case. I know you tried to help here and persuade her not to go  
back to that ... nut. What I want from you now, is to stop this from  
happening to my daughter as well. If and when she's in a cult, I want  
her out of there before they decide to kill themselves   
too.'   
  
Mulder nodded slowly. Scully glanced at him. It was his call to make.  
Then he simply nodded and said, 'We'll talk to our superior and see  
what we can.'   
Scully glanced at Mulder, speaking for the two of them as she said,  
'Cults fall under the FBI's field of expertise. I'm sure we will have  
no problem assigning ourselves to this case.'   
  
'Thank you,' Elaine sighed. 'Thank you so much.'   
She turned and left the room, leaving the two of them inside. Scully  
looked at Mulder, walked over to him and put her hand on his arm.  
'Mulder,' she said softly, forcing her partner to look at her. 'You  
don't have to do this if you don't want to. There are enough  
colleagues that can take over. I know how sensitive this lies '  
  
'You know,' Mulder said, interrupting her before she could finish her  
excuses, 'when Melissa died, I felt like I owed it to her to go to  
the funeral, but I didn't. We didn't go. I know that to most of us  
thought she was just a victim in a case that we couldn't help. So I  
didn't go, and I felt regret afterwards that I let her be buried  
without saying goodbye to her. But I knew we would meet   
again not in this life but in our next. It seemed useless to mourn  
her death.'   
'I know ' Scully began, but Mulder raised his hand and looked at her.  
  
'There's always been something missing in my life, Scully. It's like a  
gap that only she could fill in. I know that now. She was supposed to  
be part of my life. If only we had met under different circumstances,  
she might still be alive and I might '   
  
'- No, Mulder,' Scully interrupted. 'Melissa fell into the wrong hands  
but that happened long before you met. Everyone makes his or her  
choices early in life. You met, probably because you believe it was  
destined. But you couldn't have saved her. For that, it was already  
too late.'   
Mulder sighed, looking aside. 'I shouldn't talk about this,' he said  
quickly. 'It's been so long ago.'   
  
'No,' she said, 'I want you to talk about it. You mourn her. You have  
every right to.'  
'It's been too long. I can hardly remember her face.'  
'No, you remember every feature of it. But she rests in your heart,  
Mulder. Like everyone that is dear to you, rests in your heart. She's  
there with your sister with Samantha.'   
  
He smiled. 'Thank you.'   
She smiled back as her fingers lingered on the back of his hand and  
they both felt the connection that had been established so long ago.  
  



	4. 

- 3 -   
  
Dominique Durant stood before the window of his small office and  
looked outside. He had chosen this room as his office because it gave  
him a clear view of everything that went on in his gardens. Despite  
the fact that everything seemed to be going its own way, there was  
something that drew his attention. The tension hung in the air when  
two women started arguing with each other and a few of the children  
were sitting on the lawn watching it.   
He knew both women by heart and by body. They held no secrets for him.  
But the jealousy hung so thick that it became a danger to all of  
them. He didn't interfere though. He liked it when they argued about  
him. At least then he could feel that they still would do anything  
for him.   
Gretl especially was one of his most special women. Several times she  
had sworn that she would do anything for him. She was even prepared  
to kill her own father for him of she had to.  
  
The catfight slowly came to an end. It worried him in a way that they  
weren't drugged enough to avoid this argument. But he had reduced the  
amount a bit on his senior followers. Now it seemed that they were  
too much in control. He would have to deal with that later.   
  
Now he had more urgent things to deal with. In a few days the cult  
would inherit a million or so when Gretl's father would die from a  
failing heart. The doctor was already taken care of. The coroner went  
for his usual amount. The amount paid to keep these people in his  
pocket was nothing compared to what he would have left. He would have  
to switch his MO though. Soon enough someone would pick   
up the connection and start asking questions. That was one thing he  
couldn't afford.  
  
But in a few weeks they would believe he was dead anyhow, and no one  
would look for him. It would resolve itself pretty soon.  
  
He left the office and used the hidden door to gain access to his  
locked apartment. In the bedroom he put his hand against the far  
wall. On the other side rested the girl that would soon be in his  
bed. If only he could be patient enough ...  



	5. 

  
- 4 -   
  
The FBI-offices seemed nearly empty when they knocked on the door of  
Skinner's office. It was already late but Skinner didn't mind seeing  
them this late. It had been a busy day going through all the  
documents and information they had on Dominique Durant, the leader of  
'Salvation Awaits'.   
'Come in,' Skinner said, offering them a seat and coffee. Mulder  
declined the coffee and put a file on the table with the information  
they had gathered in the course of the afternoon. Skinner drank his  
coffee, leaned more comfortably in his chair and said, 'Tell me about  
this case.'   
Mulder sat down and started explaining about the phone call they had  
received from Elaine Moss. He opened the file and dug out the photo  
of Vickie they had been given by Elaine.   
  
'We've been talking to the local PD about this cult that Mrs. Moss  
claims exists,' Scully said. 'In truth, we cannot be sure at this  
moment that it is a cult we're talking about, but it sure sounds like  
this is the case.'   
'The cult where Vickie could be in, calls itself 'SA', or 'Salvation  
Awaits',' Mulder started. 'They distribute leaflets all over town,  
promoting their yoga and self-knowledge exercises. They lure people  
to a former high school outside of town that has been transformed  
into a secluded home for its members. It's been renovated about three  
years ago and is very strictly guarded. No one gets in without an  
invitation. 'Salvation Awaits' focuses on a particular target of   
people. They only recruit those with money and not many relatives, and  
preferably those with problems or issues. In short people that are  
in need of a bit of attention and comfort.'  
  
'How do they find these people?' Skinner asked, glancing at a list of  
people that had their official residency at the former Henderson  
Institute.   
"By chance,' Scully said. 'They are invited to join an introduction  
class. Dominique who calls himself the chairman selects the members  
personally. No one gets in without passing him. Every single of them  
was recruited on the streets.'   
  
  
Skinner glanced at his agents, returning his attention to the file  
they had carefully put together with the help of the PD and  
'Salvation Awaits'-Website. Mulder didn't seem to be paying attention  
to what Scully said, but just looked tense at the file in Skinner's  
hands.   
Skinner couldn't help but remember what had happened a few years  
before. He too was reliving the events. Finding those bodies in that  
secluded room was one of the most gruesome things he had ever seen.  
He didn't want to look back at it.   
'What do you know about this Dominique?' he asked.  
  
'He's an American citizen with French roots,' Mulder said, handing a  
newspaper clipping about the man. 'Dominique Durant is a man in his  
late thirties who has been convicted for fraud about ten years ago.  
He spent three years in jail. After his release he secluded himself  
in the south of France at first, and then returned to the US where he  
bought the old school and started renovating it. There have always  
been doubts about where he got the money to do so. Rumours   
have it that he married a rich French girl who drowned mysteriously,  
leaving him her fortune. Her parents had filed a complaint against  
Durant but that never made it to court.'   
  
'And he uses this building as his haven?'   
  
'Yes, sir,' Scully said. 'It seems that Durant has a way with  
persuading his members to donate large amounts of money to him. With  
the money coming from France he renovated one wing, but with their  
cash he did the other wing as well. In total, according to the  
information that we have, there are twenty-three members living in  
that building right now. We don't know how many guards he has.   
There are a few men that stand out. One of them is Dennis Withers, a  
ex-convict Durant met in jail. They were roommates.'  
  
'How can we get this guy?' Skinner said. 'Looking at this file I would  
say that there is nothing out of the ordinary to this guy. He hides  
himself behind this yoga-movement he started, and everything seems  
legally in order.'   
'It's true that we cannot get him back on the financial side of his  
business, sir,' Scully said. 'But we do believe that there is  
something wrong there. Several members inherited shortly before or  
after they joined the cult. Almost all of them donated their entire  
inheritance to the group. That's their means of income. We believe  
that despite the sober lifestyle Dominique called into life,   
he in fact is saving up for a rainy day.'  
  
'So money is his motive,' Skinner said, 'that's not really noble, is  
it?'   
'Unlike other leaders of cults, Dominique doesn't claim to be guided  
by God or any other power,' Mulder said. 'That perhaps makes him more  
dangerous than all the others. He's prepared and willing to do  
anything for money. The police have reason to believe that he's a  
murderer, but there's no evidence. All they have are the names of a  
doctor and coroner who have signed the death certificates for   
these sudden deaths. That alone is not proof enough to arrest  
Dominique or the people he works with. There has to be reasonable  
doubt to exhume the bodies.'   
'What can you do then?' Skinner asked. 'Arrest him and question him?  
The moment you walk in that home of his, he'll get rid of all the  
evidence. He won't succumb to your questioning. There's no way you  
can prevent this working from the outside. You need proof from the  
inside.'   
'First of all,' Scully said, 'we need to find out if Vickie Moss is in  
that cult. She's underage so we have the authority to get her out of  
there. However, if he sees us coming, he'll make sure she's out of  
sight. She's not on his registration list yet. He'll probably claim  
she's vacationing there or something. However, in about three weeks  
she turns eighteen. When she's legally an adult, we won't be able to  
get her out.'   
'What do you propose then?' Skinner said.   
  
'I'm afraid,' Scully began, 'that we will have to '  
  
'- I want to try to get in there,' Mulder interrupted her. 'Get in  
that cult and win his trust. If we become a member of his cult, we'll  
have a way of watching what happens from the inside.'   
  
Scully looked at her partner. 'You can't do that. He'll figure you out  
from the start. You'll only endanger yourself and the others.'  
'Not if he thinks I've got nothing to loose.' Mulder looked aside.  
'I'll just have to persuade him that I mean what I say. And we can do  
it, basing the lies on top of the truths. Sir, if I can get in there  
and let him believe that I've burned all my bridges, he'll take me  
in.' 'He'll distrust you from day one!'   
'I'll make him trust me.'   
'No,' Scully said hard, 'you're only doing this because of Melissa.  
But Vickie Moss is not Melissa, Mulder. You don't have to do this.'   
  
Mulder looked at Skinner and said, 'you know I'll do it one way or  
another. If you think about it rationally, you know that we will  
never be able to prevent a disaster from happening when we're  
standing on the outside looking in. If you go to that cult and arrest  
him, he'll have gotten rid of every piece of evidence.   
He's able to kill them all just like Ephesian has done and so many  
others before him. They all believed that they were divine. This man  
only believes in one god: Money. So let's give him what he wants.'  
  
'You don't know what he does to get these people to believe him,'  
Scully protested hard. 'They might be on drugs or medication to keep  
them calm. They might not be able to take care of themselves. How are  
you going to protect yourself against this?'   
  
'You are going to protect me,' Mulder said quietly. 'We'll be in  
constant contact. But I need your support on this or it's not going  
to work and you know it. I need you to trust me, Scully.'  
  
Scully sank down on her chair, feeling angry with herself and her  
partner. She knew he was right but she wasn't willing to give in just  
yet. She turned to Skinner, ready to use her boss against her  
partner. But Skinner had already agreed to the idea. She saw it in  
his eyes. Mulder had been undercover before and it had worked out in  
some way. He could take care of himself.   
'All right,' Skinner said. 'You have three days in there. If you are  
in trouble, we need you to get in touch with us. We'll smuggle a cell  
phone in that compound if necessary. And don't do anything stupid,  
Mulder. Your job is to get Vickie Moss out of there, and find  
evidence to murder or fraud. Don't be a hero and face Dominique by  
yourself.'   
'No sir,' Mulder said.   
  
Scully already feared that he would be taking too many risks. 'Know  
thy partner,' she mumbled, as they left the office.  



	6. 

- 6 -  
  
The newspaper article received a special place on the front page,  
drawing the attention of anyone that read the paper. FBI  
investigating disappearance of agent's sister again, the headline  
read, with a subline saying, Argument around case-investigation still  
ongoing. The article referred the reader to an article   
on the second page.   
  
Dominique glanced over it as he drank his coffee; more interested in  
the stocks he had bought a few weeks ago. All was going perfectly. In  
about a month or so he would be able to leave the country with enough  
money to spend the rest of his life in luxury. Everything he had set  
up during his time in prison was coming to a close.   
  
The new recruitment session would start in about half an hour.  
Dominique was especially interested in the man that had been talking  
to Gretl. He had seemed interested enough. From the way he came over,  
he might do anything for a living, Dominique thought. But he wore  
expensive shoes and an Armani-suit. Money would be no problem.   
  
Gretl had seemed eager enough to talk to him. She told Dominique that  
she was in need for some fresh blood in the house. It had been too  
long since she had met someone interesting enough to stop her from  
feeling bored.   
He sighed as he rubbed his temple. Sometimes he really got fed up with  
all the women in this place. If he didn't keep them under control  
with the tablets, they would have taken off instantly.   
  
He glanced at his watch, looking outside. The first cars were already  
arriving. They were early. A tall man got out and looked around him,  
insecure. It was the same man he had seen the day before. He seemed  
to be even more nervous when he walked up to the front gate and was  
allowed in by one of the guards. Then he stood in the middle of the  
driveway until Gretl walked over to him and he seemed relieved to  
meet a familiar face.   
Dominique put his newspaper aside, suddenly catching the picture of  
the FBI-agent that was featured on the second page. It was the same  
face he was looking at outside. He was the one whose sister had  
disappeared over twenty years ago and had not stopped searching for  
her. He was the one reopening the investigation to her disappearance,  
causing arguments within the FBI.   
And now he was here.  
  
Dominique felt a shiver run down his spine. Somehow the fact that  
there was an FBI-agent on his premises, didn't appeal to him. But  
when he sent the man away, he would immediately become suspicious.   
  
But this was an outcast. And he had money.   
  
Dominique straightened his shoulders, glanced at his features in the  
mirror and used the regular stairs down. By the time he reached the  
lawn, the six invited guests had arrived, and his game could begin.   



	7. 

- 6 -  
  
The newspaper article received a special place on the front page,  
drawing the attention of anyone that read the paper. FBI  
investigating disappearance of agent's sister again, the headline  
read, with a subline saying, Argument around case-investigation still  
ongoing. The article referred the reader to an article   
on the second page.   
  
Dominique glanced over it as he drank his coffee; more interested in  
the stocks he had bought a few weeks ago. All was going perfectly. In  
about a month or so he would be able to leave the country with enough  
money to spend the rest of his life in luxury. Everything he had set  
up during his time in prison was coming to a close.   
  
The new recruitment session would start in about half an hour.  
Dominique was especially interested in the man that had been talking  
to Gretl. He had seemed interested enough. From the way he came over,  
he might do anything for a living, Dominique thought. But he wore  
expensive shoes and an Armani-suit. Money would be no problem.   
  
Gretl had seemed eager enough to talk to him. She told Dominique that  
she was in need for some fresh blood in the house. It had been too  
long since she had met someone interesting enough to stop her from  
feeling bored.   
He sighed as he rubbed his temple. Sometimes he really got fed up with  
all the women in this place. If he didn't keep them under control  
with the tablets, they would have taken off instantly.   
  
He glanced at his watch, looking outside. The first cars were already  
arriving. They were early. A tall man got out and looked around him,  
insecure. It was the same man he had seen the day before. He seemed  
to be even more nervous when he walked up to the front gate and was  
allowed in by one of the guards. Then he stood in the middle of the  
driveway until Gretl walked over to him and he seemed relieved to  
meet a familiar face.   
Dominique put his newspaper aside, suddenly catching the picture of  
the FBI-agent that was featured on the second page. It was the same  
face he was looking at outside. He was the one whose sister had  
disappeared over twenty years ago and had not stopped searching for  
her. He was the one reopening the investigation to her disappearance,  
causing arguments within the FBI.   
And now he was here.  
  
Dominique felt a shiver run down his spine. Somehow the fact that  
there was an FBI-agent on his premises, didn't appeal to him. But  
when he sent the man away, he would immediately become suspicious.   
  
But this was an outcast. And he had money.   
  
Dominique straightened his shoulders, glanced at his features in the  
mirror and used the regular stairs down. By the time he reached the  
lawn, the six invited guests had arrived, and his game could begin.   



	8. 

- 7 -   
  
'What do you do, Mr. Mulder?' Dominique asked as he sat on the bench  
before the man.   
  
Mulder looked him straight in the eyes and said, 'I'm an FBI-agent.  
Well, I was an FBI-agent until yesterday.'   
'Really?' Dominique said soothingly, folding his hands over each  
other. 'What happened to you yesterday?'   
  
Mulder's eyes darkened and he didn't seem to be willing to talk about  
it first. But Dominique's soft voice seemed so charming and honest it  
felt difficult not to respond. There was something in his voice that  
appealed to people. He was able to get the deepest secrets out of  
them. Slowly Mulder realized that he too would be able to become a  
victim of this man, hadn't he realized beforehand that   
all of it was just a way to get to him.  
  
'Mr. Mulder,' Dominique said friendly, 'in this house we tell each  
other the truth. You are here for relaxation techniques. But those  
techniques do not help unless you confide in me. I cannot help you  
until I know what bothers you. What drives you. What brings you here.  
Without those answers, you are not eligible to become a member of our  
selected group.   
'My sister,' Mulder said as his eyes drifted off, refusing to look at  
the others. 'She disappeared when I was twelve years old and she was  
eight. Everyone always blamed me for it: my parents, the community  
and our friends. I was at home and had to watch her. But I couldn't  
stop her from disappearing. I spent my entire life looking for her.  
My fellow colleagues have tried to stop me. Even my partner didn't  
support me when I followed a lead into my sister's disappearance.   
I finally got so fed up that I left. I decided that I can only find  
her on my own terms. I don't need their resources to help me.'  
  
'So you just packed your bags and quit the FBI?'  
  
'That's what basically happened, yeah. I didn't need to be there for  
the money. My father left me a large inheritance. I'm planning on  
investigating her disappearance on my own terms from now on. She's  
very dear to me and I want to find her. It's been my life's goal and  
it will stay that way until I finally track her down.'  
  
'Do you believe that she's still alive?'  
  
'I know that she is. I've seen evidence that she's out there, waiting  
for me. When I find her, I'll tell the world that they were all  
wrong. I don't need my so-called friends to tell me that.'  
  
Dominique looked very serious when he moved away from the wooden bench  
he sat on, and put his hand on Mulder's shoulder, forcing the agent  
to look at him. 'You haven't had a second's peace in your life, have  
you, Fox?'   
Mulder winced at the use of his first name but nodded slowly. 'No, I  
haven't.' 'And you came here to find that peace. You want  
confirmation that what you did was right.'   
'I don't know why I'm here. When I talked to that woman yesterday, she  
sounded so happy. I just '   
'- You just want to be happy yourself, don't you? That's what anyone  
wants. That's why you are here.'   
  
'But I'm not allowed to be happy. I lost her.'   
'You were just a child. You couldn't be held responsible. If anyone's  
responsible, it's your parents for leaving you alone.' Dominique  
started walking and took place behind Mulder who still sat down and  
stared before him. 'Why are you really here, Fox?'   
  
Mulder straightened his shoulders. 'I want another life,' he said  
firmly. 'I want to live with people that don't blame me for my  
sister's abduction and don't push me back when I want to find out  
what happened to her.'   
'Do you believe you'll find that here?'  
'I don't know what I'll find here. I don't know anything about this  
place. I just came here because that woman told me I could find some  
peace and rest here. I should be out there, looking for her, but  
right now I can't. I'm just exhausted. I want some rest.'   
  
Mulder hid his face between his hands. His shoulders shook as he  
leaned forward. The other guests looked at him and nodded in  
compassion. Dominique leaned forward and put his hand on his back.  
'You're going to be fine, Fox. We all are. I promise you that you'll  
get through this and that you will never have to be alone again. I  
guarantee it.'   
Mulder looked up, staring gratefully at Dominique who smiled and  
nodded just as compassionately as the others had done. A few moments  
later the group parted. Dominique walked his guests to their cars,  
and looked at the group of people that glanced at him hopefully. All  
of them expected a resolution to their problems and he was able to  
give it to them. But resolution had its price and he already knew  
whom he was going to select.   
The FBI-agent would be among them soon. His first test would be a test  
of faith. After that, it would become clear if he was telling the  
truth or not. And then it would be very simple to wheel him in. The  
risks he took for granted. Life was full of risks. This was no  
exception.   
It just made everything more fun.  



	9. 

- 8 -  
  
She watched as he packed his bag, staring in despair at his moves. She  
didn't want him to go. She could sense that it would all come to a  
dramatic end if he did. But he had made his decision and she knew  
better than anyone that he was unstoppable.   
  
When he put his cell phone in his bag, she stopped him. 'Don't,' she  
said, 'they'll check and take it out. You should hide it. I'm pretty  
sure they won't strip you down to the bone.' Her hand lingered on  
his, and they both looked at it.  
  
'I'm sure stripping is not a part of their agenda,' he grinned back,  
shoving the cell phone in the pocket of his jeans. 'But you're right  
of course. I should be careful.'  
  
'And check the room they give you for bugs. You can never be sure  
enough. And '   
'Scully, I know what I'm doing,' he said, stopping her before she  
could finish. He took her in his arms, forcing her suddenly to lean  
into him. Her first reaction was to shove him away, but then she  
embraced him and put her head against his chest.   
  
'I have this feeling I won't see you again,' she whispered, looking up  
at him. He didn't respond at first. Then he smiled and made sure she  
saw him. 'You don't think you're getting rid of me that easily? I  
promise you that we will stay in touch constantly. The moment it gets  
rough, you get me out of there.'   
'I'm just afraid he's going to prevent us being in touch.'   
  
Mulder sighed and moved away from her, closing his bag. 'I don't want  
to go through this again, Scully. You know I have to do this. If I  
don't, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. We've never backed out  
of a rough spot before. Why should I start now?'  
  
'You're leading yourself by your emotions, Mulder. That's what I fear  
the most. You're not doing this because you believe it's the best way  
to act. You do this because you don't want Vickie to become another  
Melissa. But you said it yourself; Dominique is a more dangerous  
Ephesian. As soon as he figures out that you're there for a purpose,  
he'll kill you and you'll have no defence. You can't take your gun in  
there. You'll be an easy target to him.'   
'Then I'll just have to make sure he doesn't figure it out,' Mulder  
said, putting his bag on the floor. 'I'm not afraid of him, Scully. I  
just don't want you to panic on this. I need you now more than ever.  
You need to pull yourself together and be there when I need you.'   
  
'I'll always be there for you,' she responded. 'I just don't like the  
idea of you being locked up in there. I dread the idea that you might  
be fed medication or drugs. It's the rational side of me speaking, I  
know. I wish I could come with you.'   
  
'I know.' He smiled reassuringly. 'The fact that you'll be around to  
cover my back, is enough to keep me up and about in there. Trust on  
that.'   
'I only trust in you,' she responded seriously.   
He didn't need her to say that. From all the doubts in the world that  
he had ever had, there was one that had been resolved a long time  
ago. There was just one person he trusted and she stood right in  
front of him, ready to do anything to help him.   
  
That alone, was more than enough to take this dangerous step.  
  
Scully knew that. When they said their goodbyes, she took the back  
door, allowing her to leave in the darkness and unseen. They both  
knew that her presence in his apartment could mean his end, yet they  
couldn't deny that they needed to say goodbye in a proper way.   
  
And so she left, as if she had no right to be there any longer. And he  
spent the last night in his apartment by himself, staring into the  
darkness while the VCR played one of his favourite movies. But for  
the first time, he didn't watch it.   



	10. 

You crashed by the gate   
Captured my fate   
Salvation   
My eyes couldn't see   
I hardly breathed   
My heart was asleep   
Salvation   
  
  
- 9 -   
  
The room was filled with people clad in light colours. Their faces  
were bright and happy, yet showed signs of a strange sort of  
numbness, as if they weren't able to think for themselves. They loved  
being in this room, surrounded by the ones they loved. They had  
chosen to be here. Yet, some of them seemed to be out of place and  
out of time waiting for something that they couldn't grasp.  
  
Amongst them was a young woman that by far seemed to be the one most  
out of place. She had entered the group last, and was still adjusting  
to this new pace in her life. Everything had come to a stop,  
including her thoughts, dreams and ideas. She felt that something was  
wrong. Yet she too wore that same expression that they all had to the  
bone. She was a part of them. And she didn't want to be   
anywhere else. Even if she had wanted to, she could not leave.  
  
'Today,' Dominique started with the voice that spoke of trust and  
faith to his followers. 'Today, I have found what I have been looking  
for. I searched for people that were in search of me. We encountered  
and discovered each other, and now they are here because they chose  
to be. They're standing before you as they have come. They will live  
here amongst you and share their belongings with you. They will love  
you and take care of you, as they love and take care of me.'   
  
Dominique stretched out his finger and pointed at the three people  
standing before all the other members on a small podium. They looked  
nervous and out of place. But the ones that stood on the podium  
smiled and nodded, as if to assure them that they had made the right  
choice.   
'These newcomers still seek their place in society. They have chosen  
to be excluded from their own worlds to live with us. They want to be  
a part of our family. I expect you all to give them the friendship  
that they deserve.'   
Dominique looked at the woman in her late forties he had selected. She  
was standing beside Mulder and seemed to be the most nervous one. She  
was a widow. Her family had deserted her when she married her late  
husband, making her choose between them and the man she loved. After  
their marriage he had made himself a small fortune that now belonged  
to her. Dominique had chosen her after running an thorough background  
check. Even though she was one of the oldest women around, she would  
also be one of the easiest targets he'd ever had. If she died,   
no one would investigate. She had no one that would care.   
  
The woman, Renata Lowe, glanced at the two people beside her that were  
newcomers, like her. She felt like she was standing on a stage, acting  
in a play. This seemed all so unreal that she was already dreading  
the choice she had made. She didn't have to be here, yet she was.  
  
Beside her stood a young lady in her early twenties that had been keen  
on being part of the group instantly. He didn't want to have her at  
first, because she wouldn't bring in enough money. But she was able  
to pay the entry-money and would make for a nice extra to the fortune  
he was gathering. Plus, she had a great body. If he were lucky, he  
would still enjoy that for a while before the grand finale he was  
preparing.   
The one he worried about the most was Mulder. The ex-FBI-agent seemed  
to be standing there expecting a huge change in his life yet there  
was something in his eyes Dominique couldn't read and didn't like.  
The background check had shown that the agent had been telling the  
truth. He had quit the FBI, leaving behind everything. He had handed  
over his badge and gun.   
An insider he had used before confirmed that the FBI-agent had always  
been an outcast and was nicknamed 'Spooky Mulder'. He was a joke to a  
lot of his colleagues because he investigated cases of the  
paranormal. He had also insisted for years that aliens had abducted  
his sister. When he resigned, a lot of high-ranking officers had been  
quite pleased. It seemed that they had been trying to get him out for  
years.   
Dominique had no idea why he took in Mulder that easily. Dennis had  
asked him bluntly why he took the risk, and he couldn't answer. There  
was something in the man that appealed to him. During the short time  
he had been followed by one of his men, he had not sought out contact  
with his friends or former colleagues. He had lived in seclusion in  
his apartment, not even going out for food. He had lived on junk food  
all the time, delivered at home. He acted as they had all   
acted before the final decision. Waiting. Expecting. Wanting more from  
life than what was given to them right now.  
  
During the three conversations before the selection, Mulder had come  
across as a self-assured man on the outside with a lot of issues on  
the inside. It took Dominique some time to force some personal  
information out of him. The only time he had watched the agent  
collapse was during the very first session, where he had told them  
about the one issue in his life that had never been resolved.   
  
But finally the agent did seem to give in and talked about his past  
and the one woman that had deserted him: his partner, Agent Scully.  
He had called her a traitor that worked for the FBI and was sent to  
debunk his work. He had worked for years with her, yet always doubted  
her loyalties.   
He told him that Scully had sought him out a couple of times, trying  
to get in touch with him. Her description matched with that of a  
redhead woman that had been seen walking in and out of Mulder's  
building a few times but who had left almost instantly, as if she had  
been sent away.   
But Dominique was still careful. He needed to make sure it was true.  
And there was only one way to find that out. It would be Mulder's  
first test, and the one that mattered the most.  
  
And so the test of faith began as the newcomers were welcomed by their  
'family' and invited to join them for lunch. A large, bright dining  
room was set for a group of thirty people. There were no children on  
the premises. Dominique refused mothers or fathers with children,  
even when they had a fortune to spend. He didn't want marital or  
legal issues in his little world.   
There were twenty-six followers now, counting the three newcomers.  
From the six guards that walked around on the compound, three were  
invited to join lunch. Dennis, Dominique's most trusted right-hand  
sat at one side of the table, glancing occasionally at Mulder.  
Dominique took a seat at the head of the table. The two other guards  
took place between the very quiet groups of followers.   
All guests were invited to sit at the simple lunch table. All the  
plates were white and plain. The table was not decorated. Everything  
breathed simplicity. Besides each plate stood a very small white cup  
with a white tablet on it. Mulder was seated next to Gretl, the woman  
he had met on the square, and Denise, a young woman who didn't seem  
older than fifteen but was in fact twenty-eight. Vickie Moss sat at  
the far end of the table. There was no way he could speak to   
her now without acting suspicious.   
  
He watched them all, trying to read something of their faces. Their  
expressions were blank and they hardly spoke a word, even though they  
didn't seem unhappy. They simply sat still, waiting for a move from  
Dominique, who looked them over, crossing his hands under his chin.  
  
Only when he moved to take the white tablet out of his cup, the others  
did the same. The newcomers watched as the followers took the tablet  
and put it in their mouth, swallowing it with the glass of water that  
was foreseen for everyone. The three new ones didn't have a tablet.   
  
Mulder glanced at Dominique who stood at the top of the table and  
watched his followers. But he didn't take his tablet. He brought his  
hand to his mouth and put the tablet in, but with a very quick move  
that was hardly noticeable, he spit it out again in the palm of his  
hand.   
Then his hand moved towards the napkin and shoved it underneath. And  
no one saw except for Mulder, who tried to not to look too openly  
at the man that deceived his people.  
  
Lunch followed, as it would have done everywhere. The food was  
prepared simple but good. There was only water to drink. There was no  
selection possible. Everyone received the same food. Everyone emptied  
their plate; despite the fact there was more than enough.   
  
At first Mulder was tempted to leave a bit on the plate, but didn't.  
He didn't want to arouse suspicion. He was a good, little boy after  
all.   
Everyone ate in silence. Not a single word was uttered until the  
plates were empty. Then a few people spoke to each other but the  
conversations were whispered in silence.   
  
Then Dominique rose and asked the three newcomers to follow him.  
Surprised the three rose and followed the man up the stairs to the  
third floor, and through a large corridor into separately locked  
quarters. The leader used a key to unlock two French doors and asked  
them to take a seat on white chairs in a small waiting area. The  
three took a seat and waited in silence until he returned and   
invited the shy young woman in.   
  
The woman seemed surprised that she was the first one to go in, but  
followed without questioning. The second pair of doors locked behind  
her. Mulder leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. It  
all seemed to so unreal and strange, and far from a good idea.   
  
'What is all this?' Renata suddenly whispered beside him. 'I thought  
this would be some sort of resting place, but I feel like I'm in a  
cult or something.'   
'I don't know,' Mulder responded, liking the woman instantly. Her  
bright eyes seemed to be as sceptic as Scully's.   
'I'm not so sure that I like what's going on here,' the woman  
continued. 'Do you think it would be too late to tell them I changed  
my mind?'   
'I don't know,' Mulder responded, wondering why an attractive woman  
like her would be in a place like this. Little did he know that she  
was wondering the same thing about him. 'I think I'm going to hang  
around to see what happens next.'   
  
She smiled and offered her hand. 'Renata Lowe.'   
'Fox Mulder.'   
'Just promise me one thing, Fox,' she said with a conspiracy look in  
her eyes, 'the moment I start acting strange, tell me so I can work  
on it.'   
He laughed, surprised that it felt so good to have a bit of humour in  
this place. It was something to cling onto.   
  
A few moments later the meek woman came out and walked past them. She  
didn't seem to notice them. Dominique came out and asked Renata to  
follow him. The woman winked at Mulder and walked after the leader  
into his quarters.   
Mulder rose up from his seat and walked over to the barred window. As  
he looked outside he saw the others on the lawn. They seemed to be  
part of a Victorian novel. They all sat or walked over the lawn. Some  
of them were reading. Others just sat there in silence to enjoy the  
sun. He watched as the meek woman joined them and sat down as well.   
  
They all reminded him of zombies. Whatever that tablet did or didn't  
do, it was probably one of the most dangerous drugs out there to  
cause this result. And he knew that soon enough they would be forced  
to go the same way.   
Mulder thought of the cell phone he had hidden in his room. Before  
lunch, they had been given the chance to unpack their belongings. He  
hadn't dared to leave the phone in the pocket of his pants. Instead  
he had hidden it in a pair of socks in the bottom drawer of the small  
closet he received.   
Before entering the compound, they had received instructions on how  
much stuff they could take with them. One of the specific conditions  
had been not to bring books or music. Books were available in a huge  
library in the main building, and music played from the stereo system  
that could be heard all over the building. Of course modern music  
wasn't allowed. All that played was selected, classical   
music.   
  
There was no television available in the rooms, but one of the main  
halls had a small television room that was open between specific  
hours. There would always be a guard available to monitor the program  
selection. No violence was allowed.   
All of these conditions just added to the sense of seclusion and  
isolation. There were no newspapers or means of finding out what was  
happening in the outside world. There were no telephones, except for  
one in Dominique's office. And the guards all had cell phones to be  
in constant touch with each other.   
Several times that morning and during lunch, Mulder had wanted to call  
Scully and tell her that he was pulling back on his decisions. But he  
wasn't a quitter. Looking at the people in this place, it seemed that  
they could use a bit of help. At least now he would be able to find  
out for himself what was going on in this place.  
  
Dominique most definitely had the best of views on the garden. From  
this spot he could watch any activity and see any intruders coming  
from afar. Mulder wondered why he had chosen the third floor though.  
It would take him some time to go from one end of the building to the  
other.   
The door opened again. This time Mulder was asked to come in. Renata  
Lowe, the woman he had spoken to just a few moments before, now  
ignored him as if he didn't exist. She had changed ina few minutes  
time.   
Dominique waited for him in a white room with a large desk, a cupboard  
behind that desk and a table with two chairs. Against the back wall a  
white couch was supposed to bring a bit of comfort to the room, but  
in fact it just added to the coldness of the room. With the light  
furniture and lack of decoration, it seemed to be a doctor's office.  
  
'Fox,' Dominique sat, inviting the man to sit down on one of the  
chairs. 'Welcome to 'Salvation Awaits'. I am very happy that you  
decided to join us and take this time to get your life in order. I  
was doubting for a bit that you would take the step, but I'm glad  
that you did.'   
'I am happy,' Mulder said with steady voice. 'But it feels strange.  
I've never lived with this many people together. I'm not so sure that  
I'll be able to fit in.'  
  
'You will get used to that soon enough. Remember that you always still  
have your own room left if you want to be alone. You are free to go  
wherever you want except for my offices. The doors will always remain  
locked. My quarters are on the second floor, just like yours, but  
again you are not allowed to go there. That goes for all the rooms.  
When in private, everyone should respect everyone's decision to be  
alone.'   
'I understand that,' Mulder nodded.   
  
'The grounds are large and appealing for strolls. You can compare it  
with a small park. Our garden is one of the most beautiful in the  
country. You can do whatever you want to feel at home. We support  
hobbies and pastimes. If you like to paint or sculpt, we will provide  
the materials. And if you want to go in search of one your talents,  
we will help you as much as we can.'   
Dominique smiled. 'I'm sorry; it sounds like I'm laying down the rules  
here. I don't want to chase you away. You are free to go whenever you  
want. You are not a prisoner here. If you feel like you don't belong  
here anymore, you can leave. But I can guarantee you that no one has  
done that ever since I started 'SA'. There's never been a desire to  
leave us. I'm very proud of that.'   
'I understand,' Mulder said as he relaxed a little bit.   
Dominique leaned against the desk and placed a hand on the man's  
shoulder. 'You needed help, Fox, and you found it with us.'   
  
Dominique stood up, leaving the desk as he walked to the barred window  
and glanced outside at his people. 'As you know, our income exists of  
yoga-classes and relaxation techniques. My advice is that you follow  
those classes. Soon you will be asked to recruit new people, like you  
have been recruited on the square. But that's for the future. Right  
now I want you to relax and enjoy.'   
Mulder smiled, thinking that this was the end of it. But of course it  
wasn't. Dominique put his hand in his pocket and stretched it out  
before him, opening it so that Mulder could see a tablet on the palm  
of his hand. 'There's one last thing that you need to do before  
becoming a member of our community. You need to show me that you mean  
what you say.'   
'What is this?' Mulder asked, looking at the tablet.   
  
'You already know. Your friends already take these tablets. They're  
not drugs, Fox. They're homeopathic products that will help you to  
relax a little bit. Everyone that comes in here is so tense and  
stressed out that we need to help you a bit when you start out. These  
tablets will do that for you. You will feel a lot better.'  
  
'I don't want to feel numb or out of control,' Mulder objected weakly.  
'You won't. You've seen all the others. They take those tablets  
voluntarily. It makes them feel good about themselves and that's what  
they need right now. Every single person out there has been in  
trouble one way or another. They all suffered for something that was  
beyond their power. I help them as I will help you forget about your  
sister's disappearance.'   
'I don't want to forget.'  
'Yes, you do. Otherwise you wouldn't be here.'  
'No, I came here to find peace, not oblivion.'   
  
'The only way you can find peace is by forgetting what has driven you  
to this point in time. I know what pushed you in the past, Fox. You  
haven't had a life since the day your sister disappeared. You put  
your life at stake so many times to find her. Isn't it time that you  
stop doing that and start living your own life? Don't you deserve  
that much?'   
'I do,' Mulder said quietly, 'but I refuse to take these tablets. I  
want to be in control.'   
  
Dominique sighed deeply and said, 'Then I'm afraid we don't have  
nothing more to talk about, Fox. I ask you to do one thing for me and  
you refuse. I cannot help you any longer if you don't scratch my back  
for once. But I understand. I'll have Dennis help you pack and  
leave.'   
'No, wait,' Mulder said weakly, stopping Dominique before he could  
open the door. 'Is this the only way I can stay?'  
  
'I'm afraid it is.'  
'And they're not drugs?'  
'I guarantee it. Why don't you try it out and see what it tells you?  
You'll feel fantastic, I swear.'   
  
Mulder took one of the tablets from Dominique's palm. The leader  
handed him a glass of water and said, 'Show me your faith, Fox.'   
  
Mulder closed his eyes as he swallowed the pill, knowing what it would  
do. But he had no choice. Dominique watched as he drank the water.  
Then Mulder opened his eyes again, staring at the cult leader. The  
effect was noticeable instantly as the drug entered his bloodstream  
and did its job.   
Mulder smiled, as the world seemed to become a new place suddenly. The  
change was so clear, deep inside of him. He wanted to fight off the  
drugs but couldn't. Every worry seemed to be far away; every reason  
for existence unimportant. There was just this place and no worry in  
the world. Everything outside of this room was another man's worry.  
  
Dominique leaned over, patting him gently on the shoulder. 'I'll take  
care of you from now on, Fox,' he whispered, using that voice he had  
learned to use so well over the past few years. 'You're mine now and  
I'll never let you go.'   
Mulder nodded and stood up. Dominique grabbed his arm and guided him  
out of the room. 'Why don't you join the others?' the leader said,  
leading Mulder to the staircase.   
  
The FBI-agent quietly made his way down. His footsteps were noticeable  
on the wooden staircase that had been restored two years ago.  
Downstairs he joined the others in the garden, taking a seat on one  
of the benches. There was a comfortable silence amongst them.   
  
Dominique glanced through the window at his three new kids. They acted  
like they all did. Tomorrow he would know how they would react to the  
drugs. Some of them couldn't stand them and became ill. Most of them  
went through the motions without too many hassles.   
  
But one thing the drug did for all them of: It never lost its grip on  
them. It unwound the toughest of people, and delivered them in his  
hands like lambs to the slaughterhouse. And he could do with any of  
them whatever he wanted to do. This drug not only controlled them; it  
also set their minds open to him. And when he ordered them to do  
something for him, they did. Not one of them had ever refused.   
  
The agent had passed the test of faith for now. But it had only just  
begun, and the coming days he would keep a strict eye on him. He  
would have never let the agent go. Even if he had decided to refuse  
those tablets, he would have forced the drugs upon him. He couldn't  
allow any of them to leave. For that it was already too late the  
moment they walked into his house.   
  
In the middle of the night Mulder woke up with a splitting headache,  
lying on the bed in his small, private room. It took him a while to  
realize he was at the secluded compound. Before long he realized what  
had happened. But he had no recollection of anything that happened  
after he had taken the tablet in Dominique's office.   
  
He couldn't remember having dinner. He couldn't remember talking to  
any of the others. And he didn't know how he had gotten to his room.  
There was just the realization that somehow he had lost half a day of  
his life and there was no way of getting that back.   
  
And the worst part was that he would not know if he had betrayed  
himself.   



	11. 

- 10 -   
  
In the middle of the night Mulder sat on his bed with his cell phone  
in his trembling hands. It had taken him some time to gather his wits  
and to explore the room for bugs or cameras. There didn't seem to be  
any. Dominique probably thought everyone was so under the influence  
of drugs that they would cause no harm. And the doors were locked. He  
couldn't get out even if he wanted to.   
He had difficulty dialling her number. In fact, it just seemed  
outright impossible to talk to her in a normal way. She seemed to be  
part of another world that he couldn't reach anymore, and that after  
spending just one day and night in this place.   
  
She picked up the phone instantly, despite the fact it was nearly  
three a.m. 'Mulder,' she said with worry in her voice that sounded  
like heaven to him. He wanted to be with her right now and feel  
secure in her presence. Instead, his seclusion only seemed to become  
worse by the minute.   
'Yeah,' he said hoarse, 'I'm here.'   
  
'Why didn't you call me sooner? Are you okay?'   
  
He wanted to tell her he was fine but he couldn't lie. She would  
figure it out instantly. She knew him too well. Quickly he explained  
what had happened. She listened in shock when he told her he couldn't  
remember a single moment after leaving Dominique's office.   
  
'You have to get out of there, Mulder,' she insisted, 'this is getting  
way over your head. You're no use to anyone if you walk around  
drugged in there.'   
'No,' he said firmly, 'I need evidence. I haven't been able to talk to  
Vickie yet, but I will in the morning. I'll try to get through to  
her.'   
'How can you, when they feed you drugs?'  
  
'They only fed them to us during lunch. My guess is that they believe  
the effects last a full day. But I woke up in the middle of the  
night. What if those drugs have more influence to your system after a  
while, numbing you completely after more exposure? That buys me a bit  
of time.'   
'Don't you think they see through you?'  
  
'I can play a druggie,' he joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere a  
bit. 'Scully, I need to steal a few of those tablets. If they are  
drugs, we can get him on that. I need to talk to Vickie Moss and a  
few of the others first before I get out of here. If I leave now,  
he'll know and destroy all evidence. You know what he's able to do.'  
  
'That's what worries me the worst,' she said. 'Have it your way,  
Mulder. I'll give you one more day. But I'm getting you out of here  
after that, you hear?'   
'Okay.'   
  
Reluctantly she hung up, more worried than angry because he had waited  
so long to call her. But the fact that he was slowly losing control  
scared the wits out of her. She resisted the urge to call Skinner and  
ask for his permission to fetch Mulder. Instead, she slid out of bed  
and turned on the lights. She had not been able to sleep. Now she  
couldn't even if she wanted to.   
So at four a.m. she found herself in her kitchen, drinking instant  
coffee, wondering what her partner was doing right now.   
  
After the call Mulder laid awake on the bed, staring at the cracked  
ceiling. The floor squeaked outside of his room. They were doing  
their rounds, probably checking up on their victims. Mulder couldn't  
help but wonder about Renata Lowe and the other young woman that had  
joined with him. Had they woken up in the middle of the night as  
well? Had they wondered about this place too?   
He was glad when the morning came and the bell rang for breakfast. At  
breakfast the same ritual followed. Everyone sat down quietly but  
there was no tablet. That would come during lunch. He didn't dare to  
look at the others and ate his croissants quietly. But when his eyes  
shifted restlessly, they met Renata's who sat opposite him.   
  
From the clear look in her eyes, he knew she was her normal self as  
well. He nodded slowly, unnoticeable to the others. They would talk  
during breakfast. Somehow there was something different about Renata.  
She had a secret that she wasn't telling.   
  
Mulder drank his coffee, trying to glance at Dominique, who was  
occupied with Vickie Moss sitting next to him. He spoke softly to  
her. The girl's eyes seemed meek yet her gesture spoke of tension.  
Then the girl turned away from Dominique and drank her tea. Her eyes  
glanced at Mulder, and then shifted again, ignoring all of them.   
  
After the group parted, a number of them returned to their quarters.  
Everyone had received strict orders to keep their room clean. There  
was no housekeeping, except for two women who came once a week to  
scrub the floors. Everyone made their own beds. There was a daily  
check-up in every room.   
It was already rather warm for the time of year. Mulder waited to see  
what Vickie and Renata would do, and then walked after Vickie who  
left, apparently for a stroll down the artificial park.   
  
He walked after her, taking a slow pace. There was a gardener at work  
who ignored him. One of the guards that usually watched the gates,  
talked to one of the women. They were on the other side of the pond.  
  
'Vickie,' he said softly so that she alone could hear. She stopped and  
turned to look at him. Instantly he knew she wasn't under the  
influence of the pills. Her eyes were bright and alive, unlike those  
of the others. He knew she noticed the same thing.   
  
'Who are you?' she asked, refusing to look him straight in the eyes.  
'You know who I am.'  
  
'No,' she said, shaking her head. 'I know who you pretend to be. Now  
tell me who you really are.'  
'Can't you guess?'  
  
'You didn't quit the FBI, did you?'  
'No.'  
'Did my mother send you?'  
'Yes.'  
  
She frowned, exploring his face. 'I know you,' she said. 'I've seen  
your face before, but '   
Suddenly she seemed to recognize him. 'You worked on Melissa's case,  
didn't you? My mother kept articles and pictures of her death. You  
were in them. I remember now. Is that how she got in contact with  
you?'   
He nodded slowly. 'She worries about you. She contacted me. It was my  
idea to do this.'  
'What exactly are you doing?'  
'I'm trying to gather evidence that our friend Dominique Durant is a  
liar, a drug-dealer and a murderer.'  
  
Vickie smiled, baring her white teeth. She was a beautiful young woman  
that had everything going for her. By far she seemed the brightest of  
them all, having somehow overcome the effects of the drug.   
  
'You're right,' she said. 'He is all that. But you cannot prove it.'   
'Can't I? I've got you, haven't I?'  
'Who says I'm willing to testify?'  
  
Mulder sat down on one of the wooden benches near the pond. She  
hesitated for a moment and then sat down beside him. Both glanced at  
the guard on the other side of the pond. He didn't seem to find it  
strange that they were talking.   
'If you weren't willing, we wouldn't be sitting here,' Mulder said.  
'You're not under the influence. Care to explain?'  
She raised her shoulders. 'I didn't want to feel so numb. I don't take  
those tablets anymore.'   
'But you are willing to stay and be put in constant danger.'   
  
She sighed. 'I came here for seclusion and peace of mind. That's what  
I found.' 'At the cost of what? You obviously don't feel at home here,  
or you wouldn't question Dominique like you're doing by refusing to  
take those pills. There is something bugging you and you know it,  
Vickie.'   
The girl glanced angry aside. 'My mother had no right to send you.  
I'll be eighteen in a few weeks. I can do whatever I want then. If  
you take me home now, I'll cause hassles and expose you.'  
  
'You know that they'll kill me.'  
'Like I care.'  
'Of course you do. Don't act like a tough girl, Vickie. We both know  
it's just a faade.'  
  
The girl seemed worried by his words. 'I can't go home. We haven't had  
a good contact for ages. At least here I'll be able to think things  
through. But ' Suddenly Vickie stopped talking when Gretl walked  
over to them and asked to be seated beside them. Vickie nodded and  
changed. Instantly she became a meek woman without a mind of her own.  
Mulder realized instantly that Gretl was not to be trusted.   
  
The other woman smiled at Mulder and asked, 'Do you like it here?'  
  
Mulder nodded and smiled back. 'I love it.'   
A few moments later Vickie got up and walked back to the house. His  
chance to discuss matters with her was gone.   
  
The remainder of that morning Mulder didn't have a chance to talk to  
Vickie, and there was no chance to see Renata.   
  
At lunch Mulder felt eyes of Dominique rest upon him when the cup with  
the tablet waited for him. He couldn't take the chance of dumping the  
tablet. Dominique knew all the tricks in the book. If he acted  
suspicious now, he could forget his investigation.   
  
He sighed as he took the pill and then startled when Gretl put her  
hand on his wrist and said, 'It gets better. After a while you don't  
feel so numbed anymore. Your body will get used to it and adapt.'   
  
Mulder nodded, dreading the effects that would start as soon as the  
effects of the drug entered his system. Within a few moments his body  
seemed to turn into the zombie state that they were all in. He could  
feel the change come over him.   
  
  
Later on, he would not remember that they had taken him to the gardens  
where he sat down for several hours, just staring into nothingness as  
if he was a psychiatric patient that had been tranquillised for his  
own good. Only after dinner he could slowly feel some of his senses  
return.   
By that time he was already starting to feel sick as a dog.   
  
When he woke up around two a.m. he felt nauseated and sick, puking out  
his guts as he rushed to the toilet of his small private bathroom.  
His dinner was already digested and nothing but bile came out. With  
that bitter taste in his mouth and feeling like crap, Mulder leaned  
his head against the cool wall and tried to gather his wits.   
  
After a while the pain started to succumb. He splashed cold water in  
his face and washed his neck, face and wrists, regretting the moment  
he had decided to infiltrate this place. After drinking another cup  
of cold water, he returned to the room.   
  
Lying on the bed he called Scully. He wasn't even able to rest his  
head against the board. He just wanted to lie down, trying to deal  
with the dizziness. He knew his body was resisting the invader in his  
bloodstream. Dominique had said that some had difficulty adapting. He  
had hardly ever taken painkillers in his life. Even at the worst of  
times, fighting for his life at some hospital, he had mostly refused  
to take any sedatives.   
And now suddenly he was forced to take something that could be  
considered a very strong sedative. No wonder he wasn't dealing too  
well with it.   
Scully sounded very alert when he called her up. He knew she had  
refused to rest until he called her, ready to call the cops and break  
down the doors if necessary to save him. He knew she was ready to get  
him out of there, and to be honest that's what he wanted to most.  
But he also knew he just needed one or two conversations with Vickie  
Moss to persuade her to leave with him. She would be his evidence.  
And then they could use his testimony to arrest Dominique on   
the basis of drug-dealing and test his followers.   
  
'You're sick,' Scully said when he had barely spoken her name.   
He couldn't deny that he was.   
  
'I'm getting you out of there, Mulder,' she said. 'This will only get  
worse and you know it. Everyone in that place is drugged up. Sooner  
or later your body will collapse or give in. If that happens, we  
might already be too late to deal with this properly. You know you  
can't investigate.'   
'I'm getting to Vickie, Scully,' he said weak. 'I need one more day to  
persuade her to get out of there. He can't stop her. If I have her,  
we have our evidence.'   
  
'You can't deal with it and you know. You're sick. You sound like  
you're barely able to stand on your feet.'  
  
'I can manage,' he said. 'I'll stay in bed during the morning and get  
to her in the afternoon. But I need to persuade her. If I leave now,  
she'll shut down and refuse to talk. I'll deal with my daily dose  
somehow. I'll call you in the evening. If it's still bad or you don't  
hear anything from me, you get me out of there. Okay?'  
  
'Agreed,' Scully said, despite the urgency she felt inside of her.  
When she hung up, Mulder sighed and put the cell phone back in the  
pair of socks he put in the bottom drawer. Before long he fell  
asleep, feeling weak and exhausted. Whatever the drugs were that they  
fed him, his body was resisting it. At least that was worth feeling  
so sick.   



	12. 

- 11 -   
  
Mulder's absence was immediately noticed in the breakfast room.  
Dominique sent Gretl to check up on him. In the morning the doors to  
the bedrooms were always automatically unlocked. She found him lying  
feverish in bed, begging to be excused at the breakfast table. He did  
look like hell. He didn't even have to fake being more ill than he  
already was.   
'I'll send Dominique,' Gretl said, alarmed by the way Mulder looked.  
She had never seen anyone sick since the day she had first entered  
the home. She wasn't used to seeing this. But she had heard stories  
about others feeling sick as well.   
  
A few minutes later Dominique came to Mulder's quarters and found his  
follower just like Gretl had said. Dominique sighed, realizing this  
was the third time something like this happened. He didn't like it.  
He didn't want doctors on his premises. They had to deal with this  
themselves. He would have to reduce the dose and make sure Mulder  
adjust slowly to the drugs.   
'I'll be fine,' Mulder mumbled, lying exhausted in bed. 'I just need a  
bit of rest.'   
'I'll have Gretl bring you some toast and tea. You need to eat  
something. If you don't, you'll just weaken more,' Dominique said  
friendly, sitting on the edge of the bed as if he made a house call.  
  
'I couldn't stand eating,' Mulder said, closing his eyes already. 'I'm  
sorry to be such a pain, Dominique.'   
  
Dominique smiled reassuringly. 'Don't worry about it and get well. But  
promise me to eat something. If you don't feel better in the  
afternoon, I'll give you some medication or send for a doctor.'   
  
Gretl, who entered the room with a tray with toast, jam and coffee  
disturbed Mulder again later that morning. A cup with the white  
tablet lay next to the plate with food. 'Dominique wants to make sure  
you eat everything,' she said. 'And you should take that tablet as  
well. It will help you heal.'   
Mulder ate three bites of the toast and put the pill in his mouth,  
drinking some water. Gretl smiled and stroked his hair when he closed  
his eyes and fell asleep, feeling restless.   
  
When she left, he hurried out of bed and spit the tablet out in a  
washcloth he kept in his toilet bag. Then he shoved the tablet in the  
bottom of his toilet bag. It would never be found there. Before long  
he was able to catch a normal, restful nap.   
  
When he woke up, he found another tray in his room that had been  
brought in when he slept. On it he found toast and orange juice and a  
bit of dry meat. There was no tablet this time. He ate a bit of it,  
feeling much better. The worst seemed to be over.   
  
Quickly he took a few bites and glanced at his watch. It was after  
two. Most of the members would be outside right now, strolling the  
gardens. He walked over to the window that looked out on the gardens  
and noticed that about a dozen people were there. The others were  
gone. If he remembered correctly it was Monday afternoon. Chances  
were that some of them had left for the city to recruit new   
people. There were two guards walking the premises. Dominique was  
nowhere in sight.   
  
With a bit of luck, he would be the only one in the house right now.  
He had to take the chance that Dominique had gone to the city with  
the others. This could probably be the best chance he had.   
  
Quickly Mulder slipped on a jeans and T-shirt, socks and sneakers and  
left his room, closing the door carefully. If anyone checked up on  
him, he would have a problem, but it was a risk he had to take.   
  
The bedrooms were on the second floor of the second building. Using  
the big wooden staircase he could hurry upstairs, where Dominique's  
office was. But the doors were always locked. It would have no use to  
try to get access there.   
The only other place he could think of right now was Dominique's  
bedroom that was on the same floor as theirs. It would be a good  
place to start. Quickly Mulder hurried down the corridor until he  
came to the far door to the biggest bedroom in the building.   
  
His first impression was that the door was locked, but it just needed  
a bit of a push to get in. Quickly he walked in, closing the door  
behind him. The bedroom was a spacious place that held a small sofa,  
a bar and a cupboard that was locked.   
  
Mulder looked around. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The  
closet held clothes in the style he had gotten used to. Three pairs  
of shoes waited for their owner on the bottom of the closet. There  
was no extra luxury; nothing to indicate that Dominique lived a rich  
life.   
In the top drawer of the night table, Mulder found a single key. It  
was large and seemed very old. Somehow it seemed out of place. Mulder  
took it and put it in his pocket.   
  
Quickly Mulder closed the drawer and left the room, nearly bumping  
into Dennis who came from the other side. Mulder hurried, walking as  
light-footed as he could over the creaking floor. He was sure that  
someone had heard him, but Dennis didn't come after him.   
  
Without further incidents Mulder reached his room and took the key out  
of his pocket. There was something with that key that he couldn't  
define. Something told him to keep it with him. But where? If he were  
out of luck, they would search him and find it. He put it in a  
handkerchief and shoved it in his shoe. It would walk a bit  
uncomfortable but at least no one could find it there.   
  
Then a hard knock on his door shook him up. Mulder startled and walked  
over to the door, realizing that he was still dressed. Quickly he  
removed his sweater and kicked out his sneakers and ruffled his hair,  
trying to look tired and sick.   
  
  
Dominique stood there with Dennis.  
'Fox,' he said, 'how do you feel?'  
'Better,' Mulder said, knowing he still looked very pale.   
  
'Did you leave your room, Fox?'  
'Yes, I did.'   
'Where did you go?'  
'I wanted to go out for some fresh air, but when I reached the  
staircase, I felt nauseated and had to come back. I'm better now  
though. I would like to go outside for some air.'   
  
Dominique glanced at Dennis and nodded. 'Why don't you take Fox out?  
I'm sure he could use the fresh air.'   
'Yes, Dominique,' Dennis said, putting his hand under Mulder's elbow,  
forcing the agent to come with him. Dominique stayed behind in the  
room, glancing around. Then he closed the door behind them, locking  
himself up in Mulder's room.   
  
'What's going on?' Mulder asked dazed.  
'Dominique wants to make sure you're not under any bad influences,  
Fox. He's going to search your room to see if you brought any illegal  
stuff in here.'   
Mulder grinned nervously, wondering if he should fight Dennis off and  
make a run for it. The two of them made their way down the stairs.  
Dennis was a strong man and could easily outrun him. No, this was not  
the right time.   
Outside the sun burned on their faces. Mulder glanced at the group of  
followers that seemed complete again. Vickie stared at him for a  
brief moment when Dennis put him on a bench and said, 'I'll be  
around.'   
Mulder nodded and closed his eyes. The dizziness was passing slowly.  
At least that was something. And if he were a good actor, Dominique  
would still believe he was under the influence. He was pretty sure  
Gretl informed him about taking the drug.   
  
He felt someone touch his shoulder and looked up. Vickie sat down next  
to him and stared before her, ignoring Dennis' fierce eyes that tried  
to figure out if they were talking. Vickie didn't say a single word.  
Then she stood up and left him alone again.   
  
A few moments later Dominique came out and spoke briefly with Dennis.  
Mulder knew they had found the cell phone. He bit his lip, trying to  
act as numb as possible. When dinner came, he sat down at the table  
with the rest of them. They ate in silence.   
  
But there was a tension in the air that they could all feel.   
Suddenly Dominique stood up and said loud, for all of them to hear, 'I  
unfortunately have bad news. One of our people has acted against the  
rules and will be punished. No matter how much I regret having to do  
this, I must act accordingly.'   
  
Dominique's eyes looked at them one by one. Then he moved away from  
his seat and walked beside them. Surprised and in shock Mulder  
watched when Dominique touched Renata's shoulder and asked her to get  
up. The woman shared a glance with Mulder before she turned and faced  
Dominique.   
'You know what you did wrong, Renata,' he said.   
The woman nodded.   
'Why, Renata?'  
'I ' she stopped, not able to give the correct answer.   
  
Dominique's face looked sad and disappointed when he nodded towards  
Dennis and one of the other guards. They guided Renata out of the  
room, closing the door hard behind them. It gave a tremble that went  
through everyone's soul.   
Mulder opened his mouth to ask what was going on, only to be stopped  
by Gretl, who sat on her regular spot beside him. Her eyes gave a  
warning glance.   
Dominique's eyes rested long on Mulder before he turned away and  
walked back to the head of the table. 'I feel ' he started, 'that my  
world is coming to an end. That, what I have created and put my faith  
upon is crumbling underneath me. When a reporter is able to  
infiltrate this secluded and private community, only to spread lies  
about us, I fear. I am afraid that I can no longer trust any of   
you. And the basis on which I have built this communion, was trust.'   
  
He turned away dramatically, sighing deeply. 'I will have to make a  
decision that might affect every single one of you. I will inform all  
of you tomorrow of this decision.'   
  
This time the crowd seemed disturbed and restless. They mumbled to  
each other when Dominique left them alone. Mulder sat in shock,  
realizing that he wasn't the only one undercover in the compound. But  
somehow they had discovered that Renata was a reporter. How could he  
be sure they didn't know he was still an FBI-agent?   
  
Confused Mulder decided not to try to go after Vickie again. Instead  
he would call Scully and tell her to organize a bust. If Dominique  
were to make that important decision, it could very well mean the end  
for all of them. Something told him that an era was coming to an end.  
  
He realized all too well that there was much more at stake now than  
just Vickie Moss. Renata Lowe's life could very well be in danger.  
She might already be dead. He needed to find her quick, before they  
ended her life. If needs be, he would go in search of Vickie and  
Renata, and leave with them.   
When he reached for the pair of socks with the hidden mobile phone in  
the drawer, he came back empty-handed. His phone was gone. Suddenly a  
noise behind him surprised him and the sound of a turning key shook  
him up.   
'Hey!' he shouted, trying to stop the door from locking. But he could  
do nothing but bang his fists on the door and hope that someone would  
hear. No one came to respond to his call. It was only a little after  
seven and already he faced a night filled with boredom. He could not  
get in touch with Scully and tell her what was going on. He wouldn't  
be able to help Renata out, and might as well be facing his own death  
soon.   
Unless someone unlocked the door and got him out.   
  
But no one came. And night fell as if everything was as it should be.  



	13. 

- 12 -   
  
Scully's instincts told her that Mulder was in trouble. She picked it  
up as a sixth sense as she had done so many times before, saving his  
life a few times in the process. Now all she could do was inform  
Skinner and get him out of there instantly.   
  
It was nearly seven a.m. when she called him. His voice sounded alert  
as if he was already at work. 'Meet me in my office in half an hour,'  
he said, when she finished her introduction.   
He hung up before she could say anything else. Relieved she hurried to  
the office, meeting him in the hallway on his way in.   
  
A few moments later Agent Wilkes stepped in as well. Skinner had  
contacted him on the way in. It seemed everyone was up for a very  
long day. Scully recognized him from her previous meeting with him  
and Mulder to discuss 'Salvation Awaits'. Then, Wilkes had said that  
'SA' didn't have their immediate attention. There had been lack of  
evidence to show 'SA' was becoming a danger to its members. Now   
things had changed.   
  
Wilkes listened in silence when Scully explained about the few phone  
calls she had done with Mulder. Skinner had already been informed  
about the first one, agreeing with Mulder then that they had to wait  
and see. Now his worry grew when he learned that Mulder hadn't  
called, and that he had been sick during their last talk.   
  
Wilkes frowned, listening to the explanation of the drugs the  
followers received. Then he put a file on the table and said, opening  
it, 'after our meeting a week ago, I did a bit of research on my own,  
even though my A.D. still doesn't believe we have enough to go after  
Durant. I extracted bank statements from five 'SA'-members, and saw  
that they all extracted large amounts from their accounts. Plus,  
suddenly the name Durant seems to appear everywhere. With what   
you are saying, I believe I might be able to convince AD Gersh to  
organize a raid to arrest Durant.'  
  
'With all due respect, sir,' Scully said, 'but my partner will not  
live through that. Durant is able to kill them all before we are able  
to get to them. If they see us coming, it might already be too  
late.'   
'With all due respect, Agent Scully,' Wilkes interrupted her, 'but  
your partner screwed up. He's become a victim himself and jeopardized  
not only his life but also the lives of all the other inhabitants of  
that compound.'   
Scully turned forcefully towards him. 'You weren't interested in  
investigating how a seventeen-year-old girl could become a member of  
a cult. You didn't care about the strange deaths that are a part of  
that cult. In fact, you didn't even believe it was a cult, did you?  
At least Mulder did something, and he has the proof he needed. What  
more do you need?'   
'That's enough, Scully,' Skinner said hard, calming her down with one  
look. 'It's no use blaming each other. Agent Wilkes, I'm sure, had  
his reasons not to go after Durant. Let's see how we can help those  
people now, shall we?'   
Wilkes nodded, clenching his teeth. He wasn't interested in getting  
hell from a fellow agent who didn't know how they handled cults. On  
the other hand, he knew perfectly well how she felt, and why her  
partner had done what he did. He was there when Ephesian and over  
forty people killed themselves. It was worse than the worst war to  
witness.   
'I want to try and get Mulder out of there myself first,' Scully said.  
'We have to make sure he's alive and well. He can tell me what the  
best way to go about is. He alone can tell us what to do.'   
  
'I'm not sending you in there,' Skinner said strict. 'I'm not risking  
you too.'   
'Sir, you know we have to do this. They have no right to stop me.  
Legally, I can pull strings. Mulder signed all his rights over to me  
in case of mental instability or medical issues. If I find Mulder  
legally unfit to act I can use a warrant to get him out of there.  
Durant cannot stop me from doing that.'   
'Okay,' Skinner said. 'I'll have a warrant ready in case you need it.  
Are you going right away?'   
'I'll be going around noon. Mulder told me they get their daily dose  
around that time. I need to prevent them from giving him those drugs.  
I might as well use any means necessary.'   
  
'Good. I want to hear from you before five this afternoon, Scully. If  
I don't, I'm signing a search warrant myself. Got it?'   
  
'Yes, sir.'  
  
Skinner turned to Wilkes. 'You'd better advice Gersh to have his team  
ready. The moment Mulder and Vickie Moss are out of there you're  
going in. I want your guys ready.'  
  
'I'll try to fix that, sir,' Wilkes said weak.   
  
'No. You'll do it or I'll have your badge. I'm through being polite  
when it comes to political issues like this. One of my best agents is  
in immediate danger thanks to your lack of help, and I won't stand  
for that. I don't want a second Ephesian here, got it?'   
  
'Yes, sir,' Wilkes said, excusing himself.   
  
When he left and shut the door, Scully couldn't help but smile.  
Skinner looked at her when her smile faded into worry. 'He can take  
care of himself, Dana,' he said, moving from his chair to a seat next  
to her. 'He always has.'   
'I know,' she said. 'But I'm angry.'   
  
'At him?'  
  
'No. At the situation. I hate feeling this helpless.'  
'You're helping him now.'   
  
Scully nodded, not wondering if it was already too late.   



	14. 

- 13 -   
  
Suddenly the door unlocked. He shifted up from his seat near the  
window where he had stared through the bars at the garden where the  
others sat. He hadn't had breakfast. They hadn't unlocked his door.  
He had been secluded from all the rest.   
  
Dominique came in with a look on his face Mulder hadn't seen before.  
'Fox,' he said seriously, 'it seems that we have a slight problem.'   
  
'We do?' Mulder asked numb. 'What problem might that be?'   
'It seems that you are still in touch with your friends at the FBI.  
Last night I didn't want to believe that you would be capable of  
betrayal, but I could not deny the evidence at hand.'   
  
'What evidence might that be?' Mulder asked, feeling weak in the legs.  
He felt hungry and unstable.   
  
'You brought a phone in this house that you used several times. You  
called your friend Dana Scully. I don't know what you told her, but  
this is forbidden.'   
Still debating if he should lie or not, Mulder realized quickly that a  
chance of getting out of this game with his story intact, was not an  
option. Dominique's eyes changed colour when he said, 'She's come to  
see you.'   
'Who is?'   
  
'Dana Scully. She's here, waiting for you in the lobby. You told her  
you wanted to leave, didn't you?'  
'No, I didn't. How could I? You took my phone.'   
  
'You told her lies about us. Why else would she be here?'  
  
'Perhaps she just came to see how I was doing.'   
  
'Do you want to leave, Fox?'   
  
Mulder didn't give an answer, knowing that his lies would be  
discovered. Dominique sighed. 'That's what I dreaded.'   
  
Almost unnoticeable Dominique nodded towards Dennis. Only then Mulder  
saw that there was a second guard who had been standing outside,  
waiting for a sign. The two of them grabbed him before he could  
react.   
'Hey!' Mulder shouted, trying to fight off the guards who got a firm  
grip on him. 'What is this?'   
  
Dominique watched as the two guards pushed Mulder onto the bed, using  
their full strength to keep him down. Mulder was thrown on his belly,  
his arms stretched aside so he couldn't use them. His wrists were  
clung to firmly. Mulder fought for all he was worth, kicking and  
screaming like crazy. But they were too strong for him and kept him  
down easily.   
Dominique had closed the door behind the second guard. The thick walls  
and door kept the noise inside the room.   
  
Then Dominique leaned over and grabbed Mulder's left arm, pushing a  
syringe into the flesh. Quickly he emptied its contents and pulled it  
back out. Mulder's body seemed to convulse at first, fighting the  
contents of the injection.   
Then he relaxed and hardly moved anymore, closing his eyes.  
Dominique's moves caused the guards to stand down and they watched  
while their leader turned Mulder on the bed. The agent remained quiet  
and almost lifeless when Dominique lifted his eyelids and said  
softly, 'Fox, can you hear me?'   
Mulder swallowed, sighed deeply, opened his eyes and looked at  
Dominique. 'Yeah,' he said. His pupils were dilated. Numbness had set  
in. He stared into nothingness. The only thing he could do was  
listening to Dominique's voice.   
'Are you here to get me down, Fox?' Dominique asked gently. 'Do they  
know what I'm doing?'  
  
'Yeah.' Mulder's answer mumbled and difficult to hear. Dominique  
watched, as the agent seemed to struggle within, still trying to  
fight the contents of the syringe. But the sedative was too strong to  
ignore, even for a man with a will like Mulder's.  
  
'You're doing great, Fox,' Dominique said softly, helping him to sit  
up. The agent still seemed to have difficulty to stand straight.  
Dennis had to keep him up. Mulder hardly seemed to move when  
Dominique put his left index finger under the agent's chin and forced  
him to look up.   
'He's a goner,' Dominique said to Dennis. 'He won't be able to say his  
own name.'   
  
'If you keep this up, you're going to kill him.'  
  
'We all have to die. Besides, by tonight it will all be over. First  
he's going to do something else for me though. By now I'm sure our  
agent knows who's the boss.'   
  
'I hate to say I told you so,' Dennis said angrily. 'You shouldn't  
have taken him in. He and that damned reporter have forced us to move  
things forward. They've put the plan in jeopardy.'  
  
'The plan stands as it is. We had everything ready as it was. In a few  
days we're out of the country, enjoying their cash, my friend.'   
  
Dennis nodded, pushing Mulder forward. Like a zombie the agent walked  
down the stairs, followed by Dominique and his guards.   



	15. 

- 14 -  
  
Scully waited nervously in the lobby of the huge building, biting her  
fingernails. A few women passed her but they didn't look at her. She  
felt nervous. If Mulder were like that, how would she be able to talk  
to him? All she could do was hope and pray they hadn't harmed him. It  
did take quite a long time for them to fetch him.   
  
The French doors opened and three men walked over to her. She  
recognized Dominique immediately from the photos. They didn't do him  
justice. He was a handsome man with the charisma of an old-fashioned  
movie star. No wonder he could persuade all of his followers to take  
drugs. When he spoke, he sounded attractive and honest.  
  
The second man didn't interest her. But it was her partner that gave  
her the biggest shock. Before her stood Mulder, staring blank at her.  
His body slumped a bit and he was unshaven. He looked like he hadn't  
slept for weeks.   
'Mulder,' she said, resisting the urge to grab his hand and take him  
out. Instead she took two steps and stared at him in despair. He  
wasn't responding to the sight of her. In fact, she could have been  
anyone. He would have reacted the same to anyone.   
  
This had nothing to do with the illness he had told her about. His  
pupils were dilated and didn't seem able to focus on reality. They  
were restless and nervous. He looked like a drug-addict searching for  
the next kick. He had lost weight; his clothes seemed baggy and  
didn't fit.   
'Mulder,' she repeated, trying to get a grip on her partner. He just  
stared at her, not able to recognize her. She bit her lip angrily,  
then turned towards Dominique and bit, 'what have you done to him?  
He's a zombie!'   
'Your friend has been a bit ill but he's fine. Our doctor gave him  
medication to make him well. He'll be fine in the morning. He's just  
feeling under the weather.'  
  
'He's not going to stay here until the morning,' she said, 'he's  
coming with me.'  
'On what authority?'   
'I'm a medical doctor, his friend and guardian in case of medical  
urgency. I have a written statement of him assigning me to take his  
decisions.'   
'I'm sure that only counts when it comes to mental unfitness. But your  
partner is doing just fine.'  
  
'He's not. Anyone can see that. He needs to be in a hospital. If needs  
be, I'll get a warrant.'  
  
'Why don't you do that then, Agent Scully,' Dominique said calm. 'Your  
friend is no longer an FBI-agent. He's resigned. He chooses to be  
here. He's not here against his own will.'   
  
Dominique softened as he looked at Mulder and leaned forward a bit  
towards Scully. 'I know you're worried about your friend, but he's in  
good hands. It's time he forgets about the past and starts living in  
the present. I've offered him a place of rest a home that what  
he's been seeking for so long. Are you going to deny him that?'   
  
'You fed him those lies,' Scully said, not wanting to betray Mulder by  
telling Dominique he was still at the FBI. Anything could happen.  
'You claim that you want to help him. Have you ever considered that  
you have fed him that urgency to find his sister? He might have had a  
better life if you hadn't pushed him all this time.'  
  
'Is that what he told you?'  
  
'It's what I see. Fox has said several times that he wants peace and  
quiet. He's getting that right now. Aren't you, Fox? In fact, he has  
already said that he will give me full consent. He's fed up with you,  
Agent Scully.'   
Scully stared in shock as Mulder nodded slowly as if to confirm.  
  
She blinked her eyelids forcefully and swallowed away the dryness in  
her throat. She needed to get Mulder out of here now. She couldn't  
wait for Skinner. In despair her voice sounded hoarse when she spoke  
again.   
'I want to speak with him alone,' she said.  
'I can't let you do that.'  
'I need to hear it from himself that this is what he wants. If he  
cannot tell me, I'll call my superior right now and get that warrant  
before you can blink your eyes. As long as I have his consent, I will  
use it at any cost, even if it means declaring him mentally unfit.'   
  
'All right,' Dominique said, pointing towards the secluded garden.  
'You have five minutes.'  
He opened the door for them and showed them out. Mulder walked beside  
her in the same zombie-state-of-mind that he had been all this time.  
She brought him out, putting her hand on his wrist to lead him to one  
of the wooden benches near the pond.   
  
There were more people in the garden but they all kept their distance.  
They could have been alone in the Garden of Eden that quiet and  
peaceful it seemed. But it was artificial and Scully knew it. She  
could understand a bit better now how someone could want to spend  
their time here. Still, anything was better than this even the  
hard, cold world outside these walls.   
A woman looked at them from the other side of the pond. She was  
reading a book, lying on the grass. Yet her glance always seemed to  
return to them, watching them with a careful look.   
  
Scully made sure her partner could see only her and took his hands in  
hers. 'Mulder,' she said, using the softest tones of her voice. He  
didn't turn towards her. She put a hand under his chin and forced him  
to look at her.   
'Mulder, please try and understand this. I need to get you out of  
here. You're in danger. Can you hear me? You have to understand what  
I'm saying now. If you don't, I won't be able to help you. I will  
have to be forced to leave you alone again, until I can get help.'   
  
His eyes blinked twice but he didn't respond. Wherever he was, he  
wasn't able to understand her. Whatever they had drugged him with; it  
had its effect on him. He listened only to one voice and it wasn't  
hers.   
'Mulder, please listen to me. You alone can get yourself out of here  
at this moment. You need to persuade them you want out. Can you do  
that for me, partner? Do you remember why you were here in the first  
place?'   
She leaned over and kissed him softly, her lips lingering for two  
seconds on the corner of his mouth. He didn't react. But there was  
some change in the way he looked at her. He was trying to fight the  
drugs from within, to be able to communicate with her. She was  
getting through to him!   
The woman across the pond got up and hurried towards the building. She  
had dropped the book on the grass. Scully knew she had not much time  
left.   
'Mulder, speak to me. Tell me what you want!'  
  
Her partner opened his mouth, blinking his eyelids again. From the  
house Dominique rushed towards them. Scully refused to look at the  
'SA'-leader and kept her focus on Mulder.   
  
'Let go of him now,' Dominique said, 'or I will be forced to use  
extreme measures.'  
  
'I'm taking him out of here,' she said firmly, pulling him up.   
'You can't. He doesn't want to come with you.'  
'Yes, he does. If you don't let him go, I'll scream fire and send this  
place to hell.'   
  
Dominique wasn't ready to argue. Pulling her up by the right arm he  
extracted her from Mulder. 'He's staying!' he said.   
  
From the corner of her eye, Scully saw her partner's lips move. 'He's  
trying to say something,' she said, pulling herself free.   
Dominique turned and stared at the male agent. Then he leaned forward  
so that Mulder alone could hear and whispered, 'If you give one kick,  
I'll kill her right here. You know I will.'   
  
Mulder's body seemed to shift on his seat. Then it relaxed again and  
he shut his mouth, refusing to look at Scully.   
  
'I think he's made his point, Agent Scully,' Dominique said, releasing  
her from his grip. 'Why don't you leave now? You've upset him enough.  
You have no place here.'  
  
'I'll come back,' she said hard. 'You can count on that.'   
  
Dominique only smiled when he guided her to her car and watched as she  
drove off. On the bench, her partner still sat quietly, as the  
numbness slowly took off.   



	16. 

- 15 -  
  
'You know we can't keep him here any longer,' Dennis said as he  
glanced at the man on the bench. 'He's betrayed us. He's a danger to  
us all. Kill him now, Dom, before he destroys us.'  
  
'He's of no danger now. He doesn't even remember his own name.'  
  
'Those drugs will wear off soon. And then what? Are you going to keep  
on feeding him drugs until you decide to kill him after all? Just get  
it over it!'   
'No, he has to die with the others. It's suitable. He came here to  
help them and he will die with them. At least then his death will  
have some meaning.'   
'What the hell does that mean?' Dennis exclaimed. 'She's getting a  
damned warrant!'  
  
'She won't be able to do so, Dennis. It's all been taken care of.  
She's not leaving the house. And tonight it will all be over.'  
Dominique sighed. 'Unfortunately we will have to do with less than we  
expected, but nothing will stop us from starting anew. By tomorrow  
morning there will be nothing left of this house.'   
  
'Where is she then?' Dennis asked in fear. 'Did you kill her?'   
  
Dominique smiled. 'Of course not. I had to let her go so my little  
children wouldn't be disturbed. Remember, they believe they live in  
paradise. I want them to believe in my goodness, until the very last  
second before their death.'   
'Where is she then?'  
  
Dominique pointed at the window. A car drove to the back of the  
building. A guard got out and opened the back door. Then he opened a  
car door and lifted the redhead female agent out of the car. Then the  
door closed and everything was as it had always been.   
  
The only ones seeing it were Dominique and Dennis, from the window of  
Dominique's private dining room.   



	17. 

- 16 -   
  
His eyelids blinked as he lay on the bed of his impersonal room. His  
hands rested on both sides of his bodies but Dominique could tell  
that he was slowly getting his senses back. Patiently he waited and  
smiled when Mulder eventually seemed to become aware of his  
surroundings.   
Dominique handed him a glass of water and smiled as he sat on the edge  
of the bed. 'How do you feel, Fox?'   
  
'I don't know,' Mulder mumbled, feeling the dryness in his throat.  
Thankfully he emptied the glass of water and leaned back tired  
against the pillows of his bed. 'What happened?'  
  
'You were very ill. We had to take care of you. Don't you remember  
that you passed out in the dining room this morning?'  
  
'I passed out?' Mulder asked with a thick voice. 'How come?'   
'You didn't take well to our homeopathic products, but we've corrected  
that now. It's been a rough patch for you but the doctor said you  
should be feeling better soon.'   
  
Mulder closed his eyes, rubbing his eyelids with his fingers. 'I  
remember something I saw Scully.'   
'Scully?'   
'My FBI-partner ... a friend. She came here to talk to me. But she  
left.' 'That must have been a dream, Fox. There was no one here.'   
  
Mulder rolled on his side, trying to get a grip on the dizziness he  
felt. He remembered vaguely things that were out of the ordinary. He  
remembered being locked up, two men grabbing him, a syringe, sitting  
in the yard and listening to Scully. His left arm ached as if he had  
been injected. He stared at the floor, ignoring Dominique who waited  
until he would look at him again.   
'It was a dream, Fox,' Dominique said with that voice that was so hard  
to disbelief. 'You've been very ill and I feel guilty about it. But  
that won't happen again. I guarantee that from now on we'll monitor  
you day and night to make sure you're adapting to our ways. You'll  
feel better soon.'   
Dominique offered his hand with two different tablets in it. 'Here,'  
he said. 'Just take these and you'll feel better. They're sleeping  
pills. You'll wake up bright and fresh in the morning.'  
  
Mulder didn't object but swallowed the two pills down with a glass of  
water. Then he sighed and said, 'I'm so tired, Dominique.'  
  
'I know, Fox,' the man responded, pulling a blanket over Mulder's cold  
body. 'Just rest.'   
Within a few moments Mulder's breath was normal and deep. Dominique  
smiled and looked down at the agent. He would not wake up again.  
Tonight this place would burn down and they would find the agent  
sleeping in his bed.   
Dominique left the room and locked the door. Inside the room Mulder  
slept a drug-induced dream.   
  
But then the door was unlocked again, and a woman slipped in, locking  
the door carefully from within with the key that Dominique had left.  
  
'Fox,' Vickie said as she shook him by the arm, trying to wake him up.  
Mulder startled and mumbled something.   
  
'Come on, Fox,' she said, 'I need you. I'm afraid.'   
  
Mulder slowly opened his eyes. His eyelids seemed to weigh too heavy  
at first. He stared at her. 'I can't ' he said, not recognizing her.  
  
She pulled his heavy body up, trying to get him to move. 'You've been  
drugged, Mulder,' she said, trying to get him to move on his own. 'We  
need to get you alert. Think! Did he give you pills?'   
  
Mulder sighed, slumping forward. 'Don't remember '  
'Think were it pills?'   
  
Mulder nodded. Vickie pulled him up until they both swayed on their  
feet. Slowly she forced him to make his way to the bathroom, helping  
him to sit down before the toilet bowl. 'I'm sorry, Fox,' she said,  
'I need you awake.'   
He stared at her, understanding what she wanted to do. He nodded,  
forcing two fingers down his throat until he convulsed and puked out  
all that was left in his stomach. He hadn't eaten since dinner. All  
that came out were the nearly digested tablets in his empty stomach.  
  
Vickie reached up and handed him a glass of water. Carefully she  
cleaned his mouth with the washcloth. He sighed, trying to get his  
thoughts straight.   
'Listen to me, Fox,' Vickie said, putting his face between her hands  
so that he had to look at her. 'I think your friend is in trouble.  
They say she left but I saw her car at the back of the building. I  
don't know where she is, but you need to find out. Her life might be  
in danger.'   
'Scully?' he asked.  
  
'The one you were talking with. I don't know her name. A redhead.'   
  
'Scully,' he confirmed, 'so it wasn't a dream.'  
  
'Is that what they said? What did they do to you, Fox?'  
  
'Don't remember. A syringe. They drugged me. I saw her and he said it  
was a dream.'   
  
'She's here somewhere. We need to get out of here. Dominique is going  
to kill us all tonight. I heard him say it. They think I'm still  
taking that stuff, but I haven't since two days. I'm okay now, but  
the others aren't well. He didn't feed us this afternoon. He has  
something planned for tonight. I try to tell them I don't know what  
he's doing I see things '   
'Switch drugs,' Mulder whispered. 'Medication in Dominique's bedroom.'  
  
'I need you to help me. I can't do this by myself.'   
  
Mulder grabbed her by the arms. 'You have to. Don't let him do this to  
you.'   
She nodded. 'What are you going to do?'  
  
'I need you to tell me where she might be. Where did they take her?'   
  
'I don't know. I haven't been here long enough. There are lots of  
rooms that aren't being used. But if they have her, she might be in  
one of the basements. You have to find her there. I can't help you.'  
  
She reached in the back of her pocket and lifted out a cell phone. It  
wasn't his. It had belonged to one of the guards. 'I just found  
this,' she whispered. 'I didn't dare call my mother, but I thought  
you would know who to contact.'   
Mulder could hug her and smiled reassuringly when she asked if he  
could stand on his own two feet now. He pulled himself up and swayed  
a bit, but at least he could stand. He grinned. 'Hey, at least I got  
a bit of rest.'   
She smiled back. 'I have to go,' she said.   
  
'No,' he said, 'promise me something. Meet me within an hour at the  
gates. If I'm not there by then, stay out of the way and find a  
hideout. If Dominique's planning on killing you, you don't want to be  
around.   
He nodded. She left. The door was unlocked now. All he had to do was  
get out of here and find his partner before they found him.   
  
He waited until Vickie's footsteps were gone. He tucked the cell phone  
in his jeans and put on a sweater over his T-shirt. He felt naked  
without gun and means to defend himself, but at least he had all his  
senses. That was worth something.   
  
  
He opened the door. The moment he did, two pairs of strong hands  
grabbed him before he was able to move. He wanted to scream and shout  
but a large hand covered his mouth. Then a sharp sting in his left  
arm made his body limp and numb, and he slumped forward into the arms  
of Dennis.   
The last thing he remembered before he passed out, were Dominique's  
eyes staring at him in the semi-darkness of his room, and his voice  
demanding to know who had unlocked the door.   
  



	18. 

You crashed by the gate   
Captured my fate   
Salvation   
My eyes couldn't see   
I hardly breathed   
I was down on my knees   
Salvation   
  
  
  
- 17 -   
  
The best thing about being able to control people, was forcing them to  
do things they would never do when in control.   
  
The fun part of being almighty was being someone's salvation or  
someone's hell.   
  
And so he had decided that the best way to deal with the two  
FBI-agents that had crashed his party was to have them pay for it  
themselves. What better way to do that then to order the one he had  
under control to kill the woman he had worked with for so long? If  
she were to die, who better to kill her than the man she   
wanted to save?   
  
In the seclusion of his quarters, Dominique looked at the man that had  
tried to screw it all up. He rested so comfortably and calm now. No  
one would say that he was able to bring such a disturbance to his  
people.   
But he had done so, and now it was time to end it all.   
  
The moment she woke up, she realized she was pinned to the ground. Was  
she dreaming? A humming sound surrounded her. It reminded her of the  
bees inside the dome they had discovered back in Texas. It sounded  
like danger like a sound that would lead to her destruction.   
  
But this sound was different. It sounded like a boiler that hadn't  
been working for quite some time. The place she was at was dark and  
she could not see where she was. But she saw where the sound came  
from. It was a boiler and she was chained up beside it, attached to a  
pipe with her hands cuffed so low that her back ached from the way  
she was seated.   
Her legs were chained too; she could hardly move them. There was  
barely any space for her limbs to move and she hurt all over. But at  
least they hadn't covered her mouth with a dirty cloth. She could  
still breath normally.   
She felt dizzy and numb and remembered something stinging her just  
before she passed out. She thought long and hard about what happened.  
She had left the driveway and had gotten into her car, taking the  
only lane that lead in and out of 'Salvation Awaits'. She had her  
cell phone ready to call Skinner.   
By the gates they had stopped her. Immediately a sense of danger  
overwhelmed her and she had felt the urge to simply drive through the  
gates and get out of there, despite the fact that she was forced to  
leave Mulder behind. On the other side of those gates at least she  
would be okay.   
The guards had stopped her by the exit, tapping on the window. She  
hadn't wanted to open at first, but they had closed the gates and she  
would have to do what they wanted.  
  
'What's wrong?' she had asked, trying not to show her fear.   
The man hadn't answered. Instead, with swift and fast moves he had  
shoved a needle in her upper left arm and instantly she had felt  
dizzy and passed out, her head dropping on the steering wheel. After  
that, it had all gone blank until she woke up here.   
  
She must still be on the SA-premises. They couldn't have transferred  
her for a long time without anyone noticing. It would be too  
dangerous for them. And she was still alive. At least then she still  
had a chance to get out of this place in one piece.   
  
What time was it? She had no recollection. She couldn't see whether it  
was light or dark outside. She wasn't hungry. Then something seemed  
to shift inside the room. She could hear a shuffle, like a foot  
moving.   
'Who's there?' she asked with dry throat, trying to get her eyes to  
adjust to the darkness. 'Talk to me.'  
No answer came but she could clearly hear someone breathing. Whoever  
it was, he or she was locked up in here with her.   
  
'Answer me,' she repeated, 'talk to me!'  
  
After a long time something moved again, and this time she could see a  
shadow moving through the room. She was terrified, not knowing who it  
was and defenceless against any attack.  
  
Then a light switched on, and she blinked forcefully. The light was so  
strong it blinded her. She couldn't keep her hand before her eyes.  
Tears sprung into them. Slowly she adjusted to the light.   
  
'Who's there?' she repeated and this time the figure of the man she  
had gotten to know so well appeared before her eyes. He looked down  
on her and knelt until his face was very close to her.   
  
'Mulder?' she said surprised. 'Mulder, are you okay?'   
He didn't answer her question. Instead, he just looked at her as if  
she was a stranger to him. He didn't know her. He didn't remember  
everything they had gone through together. He didn't know she loved  
him more than anyone in the world. But he wasn't the zombie he had  
been before either. There was a mixture of anger and even hatred in  
him.   
'Mulder, please talk to me. Tell me you know it's me.'   
He didn't move, but then his calculated and slow movements were aimed  
at her. He seemed to be programmed to be here to attack her and to  
kill her.   
'I know who you are,' he finally said. 'You came to take me away.'  
'Yes, I did,' she said relieved. 'You want to get out of here. You're  
in danger.'   
  
He shook his head. 'Dominique said you were going to split us up.  
After all you did, you still had the nerve to come here to try and  
take this away from me.'   
Scully's look changed, realizing what was going on. 'Mulder, listen to  
me. You are not meant to be here. You volunteered so you could get  
Vickie Moss out. Do you remember that? I don't know what bullshit  
Dominique fed you, but they're just that lies. Remember who I am.'  
  
'I know exactly who you are. I've pulled a gun on you before and you  
talked me out of it then too. But this time I'm going to finish this.  
You deserve it.'   
Desperately Scully pulled on her chains. 'Did he tell you to kill  
me?' 'You need to be removed.'   
  
'What did he use against me, Mulder?' she asked. 'Did he use our  
friendship? Did he tell you something about me?' She stopped and  
thought. 'Did he use your sister?'   
  
Mulder's moves seemed slow and unreal when he pulled out her gun. They  
had taken it from her body along with her badge, cell phone, wallet  
and the car keys. It was ready to kill. She stared into its barrel.  
He cocked the gun. She felt tears floating down her cheeks. She was  
so tired. She couldn't handle this, but she needed to. She composed  
herself, staring forcefully at her partner.   
'He told you I killed your sister. Or did he say that I kept her away  
from you? What did he tell you?'  
  
He shook his head. His eyes seemed sad when he said, 'She's dead.  
She's been dead all this time. I've chased a hope that she might  
still be out there. I can't do that anymore. I need to face reality  
now.'   
'And shooting me will help you deal with your past?'   
  
'I need to remove everyone that was a part of her search. You came  
here to destroy me, so now I have to destroy you. Dominique said so.'  
  
'Mulder, no ' she begged. 'Remember. Try to figure this thing out.  
You're drugged up. This is not you. Dominique has a way with words.  
Remember what happened in the past. Remember Robert Modell. He too  
controlled you but you overcame his influence.'   
  
'Dominique is better. He's a good man.'  
  
'No, he isn't. You came here to expose him. He controls everyone that  
lives here. He's no good. If you kill me now, you'll never be able to  
forgive yourself. You'll kill yourself too. You'll die and he'll get  
everything you worked for. Don't let him do this to you! We've been  
through this before. You've aimed a gun at me before. You couldn't do  
it then you can't do it now.'   
Mulder seemed to hesitate but the gun was still aimed at her face. If  
he pulled the trigger now and lost control, they were dead. 'There's  
no other way,' he said but his voice started to tremble. 'I want to  
stay here.'   
'Why? Why do you want to stay? What has he told you that makes you do  
this?'   
Mulder blinked his eyes, rubbing his eyelids with his left index  
finger. The gun swayed dangerously. 'I have no reason to go back.  
Everything's lost.'   
'You still have me. And your sister is still alive. I know she is.'  
  
He looked estranged at her. 'She's dead. They found her body. He  
showed me she's dead.'   
'What did he show you, Mulder?'  
  
'A picture of a skeleton a newspaper clipping. She's dead. She's  
been dead for twenty years. And he said that you knew and didn't tell  
me.'   
Scully shook her head, trying to ignore the pain in her limbs. 'She  
has not been found, Mulder. Your search is still ongoing. Your quest  
here lies with Vickie Moss and Melissa. Do you remember Melissa,  
Mulder? She's the reason you came here. You wanted to make up for her  
loss. Are you going to allow Vickie to go the same way as Melissa?'  
  
Mulder stared at her, blinking his eyes. It was so damned difficult to  
figure out the truth. Dominique had told him she would say this. She  
would try to save her hide. But she sounded so believable. He  
startled as flashes from the past rushed through his mind. He  
remembered vaguely what they had done together. But Dominique had  
said she was a bitch that didn't care for him. She had dumped him   
when the going got rough. She debunked his work. She was set in place  
to stop him from finding the truth.  
  
Yet at the same time he remembered nearly kissing her and holding her  
in his arms before a bee stung her and he had been on the ice to find  
her. He remembered how she had been by his side several times when he  
was in trouble or ended up in hospital. He remembered her illness.  
How could he remember all of that when she meant nothing to him?  
  
But the drugs prevented him from thinking straight. He was a zombie  
without a mind of his own. He lowered the gun and put it on the  
ground, kneeling down. He shook his head and hid his face, trying to  
figure it all out. He was so angry with himself for feeling this  
way!   
'Untie me, Mulder,' Scully begged, rattling the shackles. 'Find a  
key.' They had given him the key. He was supposed to shoot her,  
unlock her and dump her body in the pond with a weight attached to  
her ankle. The water was deep enough to conceal her body for a while.  
He shivered when he realized he would have done just that.   
  
Slowly he moved towards the boiler and took the key. He unchained her,  
and every move seemed too difficult to do. Finally she was loose. She  
grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards her, hugging him so dearly  
that every emotion seemed to come out. He held onto her as if she  
were his saviour.   
He opened his mouth to speak but she put her fingers on his lips and  
said, 'you're not to blame. Let's get out of here first and get you  
to a hospital.'   
'The others I can't leave them. Vickie '   
'We have to worry about them later. First we need to contact Skinner.  
He needs to get us out of here. They took my cell phone. But Skinner  
swore that he would raid this place if I didn't contact him by five.  
What time is it?'   
'Don't know it's getting dark.' Mulder's fingers moved slowly. He  
had to remember something something important he had to tell  
Scully. Then he remembered. Slowly he took out the cell phone Vickie  
had given him and handed it to her. There was no connection from the  
boiler room. They had to call outside. But the guards were there. He  
put it back in his pocket.   
'I have an idea,' Mulder whispered, forcing his mind to think  
straight. 'You get out and call. Use front entrance. There's another  
door to this place. Car is parked around near gate, keys in it.  
Vickie is waiting. Hiding. I stay. Tell them you're dead and buy  
enough time for you to get out. They'll believe me.'   
'No, you can't do that. I'm not leaving without you! We've got my gun.  
We can handle them.'  
  
'No.' Mulder shook his head. 'There are six of them. We don't stand a  
chance. Scully grabbed her partner's sleeve and pulled him towards  
her. But she saw he had not told her everything.   
  
'He's killing them tonight, isn't he?' she asked. 'Is he?'  
'Don't know heard him talk. He ...' Mulder frowned. 'He said he was  
ending it tonight. Planned a big meeting in the dining room. Second  
floor. Last supper and then over. I'm part of it.'  
  
'No,' Scully said, 'you're in no shape to do this. Please, Mulder.  
Come with me. If I have to, I'll force you, I swear!'  
  
Her partner stared at her long and nodded, hugging her again. She  
moved her head against his shoulder, feeling his grip. If it weren't  
for the danger lurking outside, she would have been overjoyed. Mulder  
let go of her body, taking her face in his hands. He smiled. His  
moves were still very slow when he knelt down and picked up her gun  
from the floor.   
She thought he was going to hand it to her. He acted as if he was. But  
a sharp pain hit her head as the barrel of the gun came in touch with  
her face, and she was knocked backwards. Without one word she stayed  
down, losing consciousness immediately. A small trickle of blood ran  
down her face.   
Mulder knelt down beside her, caressed her face and stared at her  
form. 'I'm sorry,' he mumbled. He pulled the cell phone out of his  
pocket and put it into her jacket pocket. 'I couldn't let you go back  
with me. I know you want me to be okay but I came here to do  
something. I need to do it.'   
He looked around, until he could find a sharp piece of glass lying on  
the dirty floor. He picked it up, pulled up the sleeve of his sweater  
and jabbed the glass in the flesh of his arm.   
  
Mulder moaned as the sharp pain brought him back to his senses. Thick  
blood trickled down his arm. The agent felt dizzy as he knelt down  
beside his partner again and let the blood drip on the white shirt  
she wore under her black jacket. A stain appeared, large enough to  
have anyone believe she had been shot. He looked at it, ripped a  
piece of the back of her shirt and bandaged the wound on   
his arm with it.   
  
Then he aimed the gun at the wall behind her and fired once. The  
bullet struck the wall. Pieces of plaster dropped on the floor.  
Mulder dropped the gun and lifted her up from the cold floor, taking  
her in his arms. Her slim and seemingly lifeless body dangled in his  
arms.   
The back door to the boiler room opened and Dennis watched as he came  
out with her in his arms. She was white as a sheet. He glanced  
quickly at the blood on her chest and smiled. 'Good work, Fox. Put  
her in the car. We'll take her to the pond. We have to hurry, it's  
getting late.'   
Mulder moved carefully as he put the body in the backseat of the car.  
He blinked his eyes as he stared at her. She didn't move. He had  
killed her. He really had killed her. He felt sick to his stomach.  
But he couldn't take his eyes off her.   
Dennis looked at him sceptic. 'I'll take care of her. Go to the house.  
Dominique awaits you in the dining room. They're all waiting for  
you.'   
Mulder nodded and slowly walked to the front of the house. Inside the  
main lobby, the other guard awaited him and guided him through the  
glass doors to the second floor, where they all sat in the dining  
room.   
The agent looked at the expression on their faces and knew the end was  
near. By that time it was six p.m.  



	19. 

- 19 -   
  
'Salvation,' Dominique's voice said hard. 'Salvation is for the damned  
that live in this godforsaken world. But not for everyone. It's  
forbidden for those who don't show their regrets. It can not be given  
to anyone who doesn't fear death.'   
He stopped and looked around, catching all of their glances as they  
stood there, waiting for him to continue. Gretl stood beside him,  
staring at him in awe. Her eyes glanced through the room. They were  
all there except for Vickie. No one had seemed to find the girl.   
  
Gretl stared at the others in the room. Dennis wasn't there either.  
She turned and focused on what Dominique was saying.   
  
'Salvation is not what I give to everyone. I have selected all of you  
very carefully. You came to me with your fears and angers and I  
helped you deal with your pasts. You were happy here.'   
  
Most of them nodded in agreement. Others just stood still and  
listened.   
'Be afraid. It's a natural reaction for what will happen next. But you  
will pass on from this world to the next without pain. I will take  
care of you all as I have done since the day you moved into this  
shelter. Now the time has come to abandon this house and move on to  
the next life. That will be your salvation the freedom I have  
promised you when you came here.'   
Dominique glanced outside, as the night was about to fall again. It  
still became so dark so quick. Then he saw the car standing on the  
lawn. It was the vehicle of the female FBI-agent Dennis was supposed  
to dump in the pond. Why was the car still standing there?   
  
His eyes glared towards the gates. There was someone standing in front  
of the gates and several people standing behind it. They were trying  
to get in. And someone was running over the lawn towards the  
building.   
He looked at Gretl, still staring at him in awe. She would resolve  
this by herself. He leaned forward and whispered something in her  
ear, sending her out of the room. She nodded and left without  
questioning him.   
'Salvation is your ultimate price,' he continued, not once forgetting  
what he was saying to them. 'I will lead you to the new world in a  
blaze of fire and smoke, to make this world remember you. You will  
have no fear or pain because you will be saved. Sit down, please. All  
of you.'   
Dominique looked straight into Mulder's eyes. The agent looked back  
numb.   
Mulder stared back, not giving away the memories he had from Melissa's  
death two years ago. They were memories that were forced back upon  
him because of these events. Back then he had been too late to rescue  
her. But now he could help the others.  
  
He had killed Scully, but at least he could help the others. Right  
now, he could just remember one thing: The woman he had held in his  
arms less than an hour before. He had killed her, even though parts  
of his mind said that he had saved her. The sharp pain in his arm  
where he had cut himself told him so.   
Dominique's voice was soft and gentle when he handed a small cup with  
a sedative to everyone. They would not die in pain. They never did.   
  
'Drink this and the new world will come for you.'   
  
They drank obedient. At their last supper they had all received an  
extra pill to keep them calm. They were all out there, not able to  
resist his wishes. They were his little slaves. He could do whatever  
he wanted with them. Mulder emptied the cup in his mouth and lay down  
with the rest of them, closing his eyes.   
The guards left the room. Dominique watched as his little toys slept  
and stepped over their bodies. He stopped at the FBI-agent and  
smiled. Mulder was his biggest triumph. He had even killed his best  
friend. If he could make an FBI-agent do that, he could make anyone  
do anything.   
With the gasoline tank in his hands, the cult leader prepared for his  
final descent. 


	20. 

- 20 -   
  
Vickie quickly found what she was looking for in the security's  
office. There were only two keys to the gate. Dominique had one of  
them, but the guards always kept one in this room. She grabbed it and  
left the small office, hearing footsteps rush down the stairs.   
  
A few moments later she came eye to eye with Gretl.   
'What are you doing, Vickie?' the woman asked. 'You were supposed to  
be with the others.'   
'I'm coming right up,' Vickie said calmly, 'I just had to do something  
else '   
Gretl smiled. 'You haven't been taking your little pills, have you?'  
'Neither have you.'   
'I persuaded Dominique to take me with him. I figured him out quite  
early. But you weren't part of the plan.'  
  
'Are you jealous?' Vickie asked. 'You know he likes me more than  
you.' 'That's a goddamn lie.'  
'You know it's true. Why else would he give me a room next to his?'   
  
Gretl stepped forward and hit Vickie's left hand hard, sending the key  
over the stone floor. They both stared at it. 'Do you think he'll  
still love you when he finds out about your betrayal?'  
Vickie couldn't be put off. 'It's over,' she said softly. 'The Feds  
are right outside, ready to arrest him. It's over.'   
  
'You're doing this for that FBI-agent, aren't you?' Gretl said,  
unexpectedly grabbing Vickie's hair in an attempt to bring the girl  
down to the floor. Vickie screamed and fought back, clutching her  
fingernails in Gretl's skin.   
The women screamed and struggled for life as they fought out their  
battle on the cold, stone floor. Vickie was the stronger of them,  
grabbing Gretl's hair and knocking the back of her head on the floor.  
Gretl stayed down for the count as a trickle of blood escaped her  
skull.   
'Good,' Vickie moaned, crawling on hands and knees towards the key.  
She was exhausted but there was no time to waste. From the stairs she  
heard more footsteps coming down. Quickly she hurried out, running  
for her life and the lives of her friends towards the gates, where  
the FBI was attempting to break the chains.   
  
A few moments later the gates were opened, and the FBI could enter the  
compound. By that time all the doors were locked and closed with  
bars.   
  
- 6 -   
  
With paramedics working on Scully and Vickie, Skinner stared worried  
at the building. Agent Wilkes had taken over, ready to negotiate with  
Dominique. 'Are you okay?' Skinner asked worried, taking in the pale  
features and blood on her shirt.  
  
'I'm fine,' she said, pulling the white shirt. 'This isn't mine.'  
Skinner stared at her in surprise as she explained what had happened.  
'I think Mulder used his own blood to make them believe I was dead,'  
she grinned painfully. 'He was so determined to stop this that he  
didn't want me involved. I've never seen him like this, sir.'   
  
'He might have saved your life,' Skinner said, 'but he won't be able  
to save all of the others, unless he stops Dominique by hand. He  
doesn't have a weapon and in the state he is right now, I doubt that  
he's strong enough to fight off anyone.'  
  
'At this moment, he's capable of doing anything, sir,' Scully said,  
sliding out of the backseat of the car she had been sitting in while  
they took care of the cut on her face. 'He's so determined to bring  
this to an end. He's reliving the entire event with Melissa again.  
Only, this time he's working from the inside. I believe he doesn't  
know what he's doing anymore.'   
Vickie glanced at the female agent, feeling guilty for the entire  
event. If she had been reasonable enough to talk to her mother about  
this, none of this would have happened.  
  
'The more reason to get him out of there,' Skinner said. 'If what  
Vickie says is true, that place is going to hell right now.'   
  
Dennis could be heard laughing from the backseat of one of the  
vehicles. He looked at them challengingly and shouted, 'It's too  
late! They're all burning in hell by now!'   
  
Scully and Skinner stared in shock at the building as the first flames  
burst out of the windows on the second floor, while outside, the FBI  
was still attempting to move in. 


	21. 

- 21 -   
  
Dominique walked over to the ready-to-use gasoline tanks. He started  
spreading the liquid over the room, pouring it in between his  
victims. The he caught a shadow behind him. Quickly he turned around,  
staring at Mulder who looked at him and pulled the gasoline tank from  
his hands.   
'You lied,' Dominique said matter-of-fact. 'I could have known you  
would only pretend.'  
  
'I can't let you do this,' Mulder said weak, knowing he had no defence  
but his hands. 'You've gone too far.'   
  
'Why did you come here?' Dominique asked. 'You never wanted salvation,  
did you?' 'I came here for Vickie Moss and these other people that you  
have taken in. They don't deserve to be here.'  
  
'I gave them happiness.'  
  
'You gave them drugs. You fed them lies. They don't know what you're  
like. They believed what your drug-induced words claim.'   
  
Dominique sighed deeply, stretching out his hand towards the agent.  
'Don't you know by now that I want the best for you?'   
  
'The best?' Mulder laughed. 'Killing the woman I love was that for  
the best?' 'You volunteered to come here. You must suffer the risks.'  
  
'I didn't ask to be drugged.'  
  
'No, you asked to be killed. Anyone who comes here under false  
pretences needs to die. Just like your partner. You did kill her  
didn't you? You do remember that?'  
  
'I didn't kill her. She's still alive.'  
  
'She's dead, Fox. Remember? Her blood was all over you.'  
  
'No, I set it up,' Mulder said confused. 'She's alive and well. She  
waits for me outside, with the FBI. It was all a set-up. I'm still an  
FBI-agent. I need to arrest you. I have to.'  
  
'You don't have to do anything. You can give in to the sleep and  
slumber of happiness. I know you're still out there somewhere, where  
I want you to be.'   
'No,' Mulder shook his head. He seemed to move too slowly, still under  
the influence of the drugs fed to him. He wanted it to end, yes.   
This slumber. The daze he was in right now. This wasn't him. This  
person with the pale face and the dark eyes was not who he really  
was.   
Dominique stared at him for a few moments. Then he said: 'I'm sorry  
you feel this way Fox. You can arrest me now, but you know I'll be a  
free man some day. I know you won't harm me. I gave you a bit of  
peace. You can't harm me because I haven't harmed you.'  
  
'You drugged me!'  
'You took those pills voluntarily.'  
  
'I will do what I can, what lies in my power.' Mulder's thoughts  
seemed to return to him. He wanted to reach instinctively for his  
gun, but couldn't. It wasn't there. How was he supposed to stop this  
when there was nothing he had to defend himself with?  
  
They both heard more cars all stopping outside of those stonewalls.  
They were here to help Mulder. Scully must still be alive! Mulder  
glanced outside the window, staring at the cars that came towards the  
building and the men rushing out. They were here to help them.  
  
Mulder laughed as the realization struck him that it was just a matter  
of moments now.   
  
Dominique cursed, losing his posture and dropped the canister on the  
floor. 'It's over,' Mulder repeated softly. 'If you're lucky, you can  
still live through this. But don't you dare put this place on fire.'  
  
'I have to. They expect me to kill them.'   
  
Mulder smiled, standing aside as one by one the members of 'Salvation  
Awaits' got up and looked at Dominique in anger. Dominique held his  
breath as he stared at them, one by one getting up.   
  
'I don't think that's what they had in mind, Dominique,' Mulder said.  
The women left the room first, walking down the wooden stairs,  
ignoring Dominique who stood dazed in the room. Then the men left  
until there was just the two of them.   
  
'How?' Dominique asked in fear.   
'Ask Vickie. She switched drugs. And they all played along.'   
'But Gretl '  
  
'I'm betting she didn't know. Let's go down, Dominique.'   
  
Surprised and startled Dominique walked before Mulder out the room.  
Suddenly something hard struck Mulder in the back of the neck,  
sending him down for the count. Dominique turned, looking at Gretl  
who held a gun in her hands.   
'Where are they?'   
  
'They're downstairs,' she said with a heavy voice. 'We can still do  
this, Dominique. We can, I know it!'  
  
'Torch the place,' he ordered. 'Make sure he stays in here. I want him  
to burn to death.'  
  
Gretl smiled and kissed her lover hungrily on the lips, as he walked  
halfway down the stairs and glanced at his members who were  
attempting to open the doors from the inside, while the FBI was  
attempting to do the same from the outside.   
At that time a loud noise could be heard from above, and before anyone  
knew what was happening, the building was on fire. 


End file.
